The light to his darkness: Carpathian spinoff
by The Godess Freya
Summary: A young girl has feared the darkness all of her life. Now, knowing what stalks her, she must find new friends to help her in her time of need. An OC/OC pairing, with characters from the Carpathian Series.
1. The Beginning

_I heard his sigh and felt it flutter past my ear. I shivered at the slight breeze and continued to look for the man of my dreams. I felt his loneliness, his hatred, his fear, and his ecstasy. However, I never heard his voice. I could only feel the sensations and they made my body become alive. I felt like he belonged to me and he was mine…and only mine. This god of my dreams was always elusive and out of reach. No matter how far and long I searched in the darkness, I always came up empty. _

_But tonight, it was different. I felt perpetual sadness, like depression worthy of institutionalization. My god was sad over something, but what? His loneliness echoed the sadness and it ripped my heart in two. As tears fell down my cheeks, I cried out into the black abyss._

"_Why? Why are you feeling so sad?" Of course, my god did not answer and his emotions beat at my weary heart. "Don't be sad…I'm here!" Within the next beat of his heart, his emotions stilled and I smiled. Had my god heard me?_

I bolted straight up, my shaking hands holding my blanket to my chest. Why had my body decided to wake up now? I shook my head, feeling stupid. Maybe it was my imagination. My god hadn't heard me before, so why now?

My feet slid over the side of the bed and I stared into the glorious night. I sighed, knowing I was not going to get any sleep, and threw on a coat and sneakers. As I simply walked down the stairs, I spotted my dad passed out on the couch, a beer in one hand. My mother was asleep, curled up into a ball at his feet like the groveling animal she was. Pathetic, really. I reigned in my anger and sighed angrily as I walked out of the house, shutting the door behind me. It wasn't her fault that she was raised as a masochist by her father. However, I never caught the need to be that way because of the few friends I had made in school. They had saved me from that path before I had traveled too far.

I made my way down the city streets, uncaring of the violent stories I'd heard in the town near my house. I lived in the outside of the suburbs near the woods surrounding our town and nothing ever happened here. Why would it? We were a small community of crackheads and drunks living in a step above a trailer park. Our small houses were not filled with anything valuable and you just didn't want to get on anyone's bad side. Otherwise, you were fine. Most of the people looked out for one another anyways.

My next stop was around a mile away from my house and held a peaceful serenity that was absent in my home. A half hour later, I stood outside a small park with a small content smile on my face as I stepped into the small park. My destination: the swings. I sat on my favorite one, the one to the far right. I took my coat off and wrapped it around my waist, letting the warm night breeze kiss my skin. I closed my eyes and pushed, letting me swing. I opened my eyes again to look at the full moon and looked around at everything else; silver bathed the scenery before me and I smiled again. The full moon was my favorite night to go out anyways, I'd just forgotten about it until I woke up from my dream.

And this brought me to my next point. I had these dreams ever since twelve, where I had woken up screaming from the pain. My god had been hurt that day and as I slept each night, I shared the pain and lessened it for him. I felt him grow stronger and ever since then, I always went into the darkness with my god. But now, I think he had realized that I was there with him. My god had been with me for years. Icouldn't imagine going to sleep and not dreaming of him. It would be like a piece of my heart would disappear forever. I sighed. Even though I loved the night, sometimes I would stray to sad subjects, such as this one. I shook my head and cleared the thoughts from my head.

It was then I felt the pulse hit me. I wheezed, my breath leaving my lungs. My eyes slowly slid out of focus and I felt my gaze "fly" over the forest. I finally landed in a clearing with an extraordinarily beautiful wolf. I'd seen the wolf before, so I wasn't surprised. Now just between me and you, I had this…sixth sense. I had always been different from everyone else. I could find things over great distances and "feel" evil. It was hard to explain without saying the word. I could sense vampires. They existed, no matter what anyone else said. I've seen them kill and watched the death appear on the news. The thing was, I told my friends, but they didn't believe me.

The wolf stopped and turned its head, its coal black eyes boring into my own eyes. My breath caught in my throat. The wolf had sensed me! That meant… It turned away from me and I watched its movements closely. It began to look around slowly, taking in its surroundings. Then, I felt the pulses of evil emanating from the forest around the wolf. For some reason, I tensed, afraid the wolf might get hurt. It looked at me again and then looked at a spot in the tree line and growled. He leaned down into a fighting stance, hackles raised.

This was when I spotted the crow flying above the tree line. It banked and landed on the ground across the clearing from the wolf. The crow, however, did not belong here. It too, like the wolf, was massive in size. To my horror, the crow let out a caw and began to stretch and elongate. My mouth dropped and my hands tightened around the chains beside of me. My head swam as the crow's transformation ended and in its place stood a beautiful man. His pale skin seemed to glow in the silver moonlight and his long hair swayed slightly in the breeze. He looked ethereal, as if he didn't belong on this earth.

"Diego, it's such a pleasure," the man said, his fingers brushing stray tendrils of hair from his face. "I felt you hunting and I must admit, I wanted to see you in action. Please, don't let me interfere with your work." The wolf stilled but kept in attack position. Again, to my chagrin, the wolf began to stretch and I heard his bones pop and snap as they reformed and took a new shape. I gulped and shut my eyes, not wanting to go through that experience again. The new man had short hair and he too matched the pale color of the crow-man's skin. However, he seemed even more beautiful than the crow-man. He exuded power and authority like a second skin.

"What is it you want?" Diego asked, his voice pure and true. It was hypnotic and mesmerizing, making me want to listen to it forever. The crow-man flinched but kept the smile on his face.

"Is that any way to treat your childhood friend? Please, Diego. I haven't seen you in so long and I've been looking forward to this reunion." The crow-man smiled and put his hands in its pockets.

"You have no business here, vampire." I stiffened. Vampire? Here? Why would a vampire be here? Maybe he was just passing through town.

"You felt it too, Diego. There is a woman here. One of us." The so called vampire breathed in and smiled. "I can smell my return as a Carpathian, Diego. Soon I will join you once again." Carpathian? What was a Carpathian? Why would he be concerned over a woman?

"You think the woman can save your damned soul?" Diego asked tauntingly. "You are still gullible, Francisco." Francisco snarled at Diego.

"You keep me from her! I came hunting her scent and it led me here! Where is she, Diego?" I looked around for the other soul nearby, but didn't see any movement. Maybe that meant the woman was safe or just great at hide-and-go-seek.

"You are a mere fledgling. What could you possibly scent?" This made Francisco snarl and leap at Diego. Just as fast, Diego sidestepped and raked his hand over Francisco's side. When he came away, Diego's fingers were covered in blood. The worst part, however, was that he no longer had fingers; he had talons

"Don't toy with me," Francisco yelled as he held his hands forward. A sudden gust of wind barreled toward Diego, but Diego simply swiped at the tornadic winds and they dissipated like nothing had happened.

"Then you don't test me," Diego stated mockingly before appearing behind the bleeding vampire. To my revulsion and disgust, Diego plunged his hand into the vampire's back and pulled out a still beating heart. This was the end for me. I fell off of the swing and slammed into the ground. I moaned, but didn't have time to feel sorry for myself. I barely rolled over and saw the end of the fight. Diego threw the heart to the ground and it began to flop back to its vampiric master. I felt the remnants of the small supper I had coming forth and I ran to the edge of the playground and puked. In my double vision, I saw lightning come and strike the heart, incinerating it immediately. With a final cry, the vampire burst into flames and I hurled again.

As soon as my stomach stopped heaving, I listened to my brain and fled the scene. I knew that the clearing wasn't far from where I was and that the fight could have easily been nearer to the playground. I made it to my house in record time and landed on my bed, panting heavily. I was glad I could run a mile in seven minutes because I didn't want to be caught outside this time. I stripped my coat and pants off and lazily threw my shoes into the corner. I grabbed some sleeping medication and downed it with the water beside of my bed. It was only then that I relaxed and flopped back onto my bed, ready to sleep this weird night off.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

As I arrived the next morning to school, I was vaguely surprised to see everything normal. I mean, after last night…I shook my head. I was going to forget that incident ever happened and just move on with my life. I see vampires on a regular basis. Why should this bother me? _Because this time they were fighting each other. _That was odd. I had seen some sickening things in my time, some enough to scar my mind, but this was new. I never had seen a vampire die before.

"Esmeralda!" I looked to the side to see this girl, Amber, walking over to me. She was a bit on the creepy side, always obsessed with stories of evil and the unatural. She was a Native American and was raised in the plains, where the cool old ways still thrived.

"Did you feel it?" she asked me. I quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Feel what?"

"The evil last night. I thought you of all people would know what I'm talking about." Sometimes this girl was as creepy as I was. She too had this sort of sense around her, but definitely not as weird as I was.

"Yeah. There was a vampire last night, but I know you don't believe me."

"Vampires are myth and legend born from the brutality of Vladimir in the dark ages. However, there is always a grain of truth in a legend," she stated, sweeping her brown hair from her face. "I believe there are evil spirits around here. My grandfather has warned me not to go out at night and I don't blame him." Riiiiight. I'll just stick to my vampires.

"Well, at least you believe in the evil spirits part," I muttered. I led us into the school, ignoring all of the other people crowding the hall. "The weird part was, there were two vampires last night. However, they were fighting each other." Amber's eyes locked onto my face and I smiled.

"I felt turmoil," she mused.

"Yeah. One killed the other. Well, first, I saw the wolf from before. Then a huge crow flew down and they transformed into humans. They started fighting and the wolf killed the crow."

"This is an interesting vision. You saw this with your eyes?"

"Yeah. I was near the playground and saw it. Wait…they were speaking of a woman. Francisco said that he found a woman that could save his soul, but Diego disagreed."

"Who are they?" We entered our science room and plopped into the back of the classroom.

"Francisco was the crow and Diego is the wolf's name."

"Then you must be careful tonight."

"Why?"

"A vampire wouldn't want a normal woman, would he?" I shivered as her eyes locked onto mine; it sounded like an ominous warning of what was to come. The moment was ruined when she smiled at me. I relaxed and smiled back and we turned toward the teacher for the lesson.

Lunch finally came all too late and Amber and I made our way to my normal table, where my friends were sitting. Catie, who was sitting opposite of Victoria, spotted us first.

"Hey Esmeralda!" she called. As we sat, she leaned over the table to whisper something to me, clearly excited. "Did you hear about the lightning strike last night?" I stiffened slightly but only Amber noticed. "There was a freak strike about two miles from your house, Esmeralda. Everyone's baffled about it. I mean, there was clear skies all last night." Amber didn't look too put off by my friends ignoring her. She was used to it; this had occurred all through her high school life. Of course, I was nice and sort of befriended her later.

"Think it was a vampire?" Victoria asked, popping some spaghetti in her mouth.

"Oh, ha ha. Very funny." Catie, who had finished her meal, slid the rest over to me, since I never had lunch money to eat with.

"Did you see anything last night, though?" Catie asked curiously.

"As a matter of fact, I did," I stated, smirking at Victoria. She smiled slightly, shaking her head. Catie, for the first time, looked interested in my story and I related the same story as I had to Amber before.

"So two vampires were fighting?" Catie asked incredulously, shaking her head. "Sorry I asked," she said with a smile, trying to soften her words.

"You should write a story about your visions," Victoria said. "I mean, look at Twilight. It got famous and you could too." I laughed.

"Maybe I should."

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Amber and I walked home from school, talking about our day. We were halfway home when I felt the pulse. My breath knocked out of me, I looked frantically around. The cloud cover helped tone down the suns glare, but I still didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

"What is it?" Amber asked?

"I feel…evil." Amber closed her eyes and breathed slowly in and out.

"You're right. Can you tell where?"

I nodded once and closed my eyes, only to open them again. My vision split and what I called my "spirit eyes" traveled to a few blocks away from me. A thing was shuffling through alleys, spittle running down its gruesome face. I tensed as I realized that this thing was a ghoul. It stared straight forward and continued to walk. It was a few minutes later that I saw, with my real eyes, the ghoul walking down the street, its eyes locked on us.

"What is that?" Amber asked, afraid.

"It's a ghoul…some of the evil you've been sensing lately." Amber nodded before starting a chant, her hands moving in fluid motions in front of her.

"No time, run! "I 'closed' my spirit eyes, and grabbed Amber's hand. The ghoul, sensing my decision, began to speed up. I stumbled over my feet but turned and ran in the opposite direction, away from my house.

"Why today?" I mumbled. "I got a shitload of homework to do." I turned slightly and saw the ghoul still chasing me. As I turned back around, I stopped and stared at the place before me. At the stroke of irony, I stood before the same playground as before. "Goddammit," I swore. "I can tell this isn't my day."

I looked around for anyone, but I didn't see anyone but the oncoming ghoul. I threw my bookbag to the ground while Amber again began to chant. I grabbed a nearby stick, which was as thick as my closed fist. It would have to do. Amber, however, began to chant louder, bringing my attention back to her. I dropped my stick in surprise. She was glowing red! As the ghoul neared the playground, Amber stopped and held her hands to her chest. The ghoul let out a grating cry before charging at her. However, my Indian friend had none of this. With a burst of light, she flung her arms in front of her and opened her eyes. She sent a jet of flame toward the ghoul, incinerating it. She turned to me, a smile on her face.

"You know, I didn't think that you could really see vampires," she said. "Come. We'll sit on the swings." I followed meekly and took my favorite swing as Amber sat beside of me. "Now, I have to come clean. All of this time, I've been lying to you. I was raised on a reservation, but my grandfather is no ordinary leader. He's a mage."

"A mage?" I asked quietly.

"Yes. He is a being powerful in magics, schooled in the old ways. He was taught this ancient art by a vampire."

"But vampires are evil!" I cried, jumping up from the swing. "I see them kill innocent humans like they're nothing!"

"Every species has its exceptions. This was one of them. He does not drink human blood, only animal blood. He lives on my reservation."

"And you didn't tell me this, why?"

"Again, I didn't think that you could see vampires. I apologize." I sighed. "You should go home for the night. That ghoul was after us. That means that a vampire will soon follow." I gulped once and Amber began to walk away from the playground, never looking back. I turned to see the ashes left of the ghoul floating away in the wind and I sighed. My life was fucked up. That's the end of it.


	2. Vampires

Finally, I made it home and I sighed in relief as I entered and got away from the night. I slid my bookbag off of my shoulders to see my mother cooking macaroni by the stove.

"I'm home," I told her.

"That's good, honey," she said in her usual sugary sweet voice. It always grated on my ears. "Your father will be home soon and hopefully everything will have gone well." She smiled brightly which was when I noticed the small bruise on her cheek.

"Mom, he didn't hit you again, did he?" I asked dangerously.

"Oh, he didn't mean to. He fell off of the couch and his beer bottle hit me."

_Liar_

"If you say so. Is he off on a deal?"

"Yes. He's selling the cocaine we got last week and it should make enough money to pay off the payment for this month." Can this woman be any stupider? She's living with a crackhead husband that's selling crack and she acts like it's just a job.

"Whatever. Can I have my food?" She handed me my macaroni and I made my way upstairs and to my computer, the only one in the house. I continued reading the story from Fanfiction like I had last night when the phone rang. A few minutes later, Mom called.

"Sweetie? It's for you." I groaned and sauntered downstairs only to hear Amber calling my name.

"Esmeralda, get out now," she stated, her voice uncharacteristically harsh. "Get your parents and get out. Do it now or it may be too late."

"What?" I asked, not really understanding her command. It was then that the pulse hit me. My eyes widened. Why hadn't I sensed it before?

"They're coming for you." Her uncanny ability to freak me out succeeded as I heard the front door burst open. I threw the phone to the ground, uncaring if it broke, and ran into the kitchen again. A vampire stood in the doorway, a smile on his pale face.

"Hello," he crooned. My poor mother dropped the ladle she'd been using and dropped to her knees at the vampire's feet. The vampire, in turn, petted her head softly and smiled evilly at me. "Come to me," he said, his voice lowered to an almost perfect pitch. My head swam momentarily and I shook it to clear my thoughts. The vampire's eyebrows raised and his smile grew wider. It was then I realized I'd done something very wrong. "So you are the one I've felt. I've been searching for you, my dear. If you come with me, I'll spare your mother." My mother was still fawning at his feet, stroking his thighs and legs in adoration.

"What did you do to her?" I asked, clenching my fists.

"I have done nothing. She is just mesmerized by me, aren't you?" Mom mewled - freaking mewled - and the vampire patted her head like a pet. "That's right."

"She has nothing to do with this," I said, trying to diffuse the situation.

"You're right. She doesn't," the vampire mused. His hand on her head suddenly grabbed a fistful of her hair and he hauled her to her feet. I saw his teeth elongate and he smiled at me before plunging them into Mom's neck, his eyes on me the entire time. I froze instantly as blood spilled from my mother's neck down her shirt. To my shock, she groaned in ecstasy and wrapped her arms around him. The blood drained from my face as I watched the sickly grotesque scene.

"Stop it!" I whispered. "Mom, stop it," I continued, louder. "Mom…MOM!" I finally lurched forward towards my dying mother and the vampire dropped her to the ground. She cried out in protest but he kicked her across the room. She slammed against the counter, flinging the knife set into the air and I gasped. This could not be happening. As her body crunched against the floor, the knives barreled down to her prone form. I turned back to her, but the vampire was suddenly at my side, grabbing my upper arms in a death grip.

"Watch, little one. This is what happens when you disobey me." Time slowed as the knives fell onto my mother, each piercing her body to the hilt. My mind, in a last resort for my sanity, shut down all activity, leaving me in a zombie-like state as I stared at her now dead body. The vampire pulled me against his body and leaned in closely, burrowing his face in my neck while running his fingers through my hair. "Your blood calls to me," he murmured. "You're the one going to save my soul." His other arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me harder against his body. "Come, lifemate. Come with my willingly." His tongue traced my jugular and he nipped at my now rapidly beating pulse.

"The hell she is," I heard from the doorway. I looked to see Amber, her hand extended with a rotating white ball of light on her open palm. The vampire's eyes narrowed on her.

"So you're a mage," he said. "You're wrong. She's coming with me." Amber released the ball of light and the vampire let go off me, moving from the attack. I stumbled toward Amber and she grabbed my shirt and drew me behind her. The vampire settled on the ground once more, a self-confident smirk on his face. "Who would teach you such an art? Surely my kind hasn't stooped so low."

"You'd be surprised, vampire. Szayel has long been our friend and mentor." The vampire laughed.

"Szayel? That bastard's still alive?" Amber's eyes narrowed. "That makes sense. He may be an ancient, but he doesn't deserve the title of vampire. He's a human lover," the vampire spat out. "Where is he, little girl?" Amber smirked at him.

"Sorry, but compulsions don't work on me," she stated saucily. "Now why don't you go run along now before I call the other mages to my side?" The vampire smirked at her.

"Now why would I allow you to do so? Look at the mother…what happened to her, I wonder?"

"You didn't have to kill her," Amber growled out. She closed her eyes momentarily and chanted one sentence. At once, my world spun and I stumbled to the ground only to find myself in a clearing far from the city. "Now here's a fitting place to fight, vampire." My eyes widened and I scrambled away from the glaring pair.

"And the one who wins gets the girl," the vampire stated smoothly before lifting his fingers. Before my eyes, the fingers elongated into talons. "And to make sure she doesn't run…he snapped his fingers, causing me to fall backwards unconscious.

_I awoke in the darkness again. Where was I? Where was the vampire? A shudder ran down my spine while my gaze darted around the darkness. Spotting nothing moving, I slowed my rapid breathing and sank to my knees. With nothing else stopping the adrenaline overload, I began to cry, the sobs racking my body. I hugged my stomach and dropped my forehead to the floor. I felt so alone, like no one could ever find me again. _

"_Why? Why are you feeling so sad?" I looked up at the sound of my voice. "Don't be sad…I'm here!"_

"_Stop it!" I cried out, holding my head. _

"_Why are you afraid?" my voice came again, in a lower pitch. "Why?" This time, the voice was a low, velvety purr that left me breathless. "Who has hurt you?" the voice queried again. I finally felt the familiar emotions beating against my heart. Was my god talking to me? I sat upright and hugged my stomach once again._

"_Who are you?" I asked quietly to the darkness._

"_Who has hurt you?" my god asked again._

"_It was…a vampire," I whispered. "He killed my mother." With my statement said, the voice became silent. "Please…help me. He's come to kill me! He's fighting my friend. Save her, I beg of you! I'll give you anything, just save her!" I yelled, tears again rolling down my face._

"_I'm sorry. I am too far away to help you, but I come, mor-forwyn. There is another hunter in the area and I feel him coming. Stay alive for me."_ I woke to violent shaking. Amber stood above me, her face streaked with her blood.

"Run, Esmeralda." She was ripped off of me as the vampire above me snarled at her.

"Tsk, tsk. Didn't I put her to sleep for a reason?" He squatted next me and brushed a bit of Amber's blood from my face. "Now, lifemate, stay still for me and I won't put you back to sleep." He took away his hand and stood once more, facing Amber. When he snarled, I barely spotted the blur of light headed for the vampire. To my surprise, his body began to disintegrate into mist.

"I don't think so," I heard Amber say. The light pierced the vampire and it screamed in pain and agony. I sat up to survey the scene. The vampire had an arrow of light in his chest while Amber held a longbow of the same light. "This magic was made my Szayel himself. It can pierce any form you possess and will burn any part of you it touches. How does it feel?"

"Wench!" the vampire snarled, pulling the arrow from his chest. As he did so, his face changed. Instead of the pale perfection it was before, it slowly began to decay until only a few strips of flesh adorned his skull. Needless to say, it was highly disgusting. I crawled away as I felt the urge to vomit once more, but the vampire didn't stop me.

As I hurled my macaroni onto the ground, I felt a slight breeze pass my left cheek. I looked toward the fight once more to Diego standing beside of the now decayed vampire. Diego wasted no time in plunging his hand into the vampire's chest and I looked away in revulsion. I'd done enough puking in the last few days to last me a lifetime. I heard the thunder and I turned a few seconds later to see the ashes floating away with the breeze. With this done, Diego turned back to me.

"You," he stated, his beautiful voice enveloping my injured mind. I gulped regardless. Amber, however, appeared between Diego and me, cutting him off.

"If you want her you'll come through me."

"I've heard about you as well," Diego stated. "But it is the other girl that I am after."

"You can't have her, vampire." This got Diego's attention.

"I am no vampire. I am a Carpathian." Amber stiffened, then moved to the side to allow him access to me.

"Amber?" I asked cautiously, ready to run.

"It is safe, Esmeralda." Diego walked slowly toward me, his confidence clinging to his skin. He was a beautiful man in the face of this tragic day. He had long brown hair and piercing blue eyes and he moved with grace. He stopped by my feet and squatted down to my level. He gently stroked my cheek and moved his hand away once more.

"So your name is Esmeralda?" he asked softly. "That is a beautiful name."

"Are you the hunter?" his eyes widened in mock surprise.

"Oh, you know of our kind?"

"No. It's complicated, but I heard a hunter was coming." Amber threw a glance my way and I shuffled, suddenly uncomfortable.

"Then I'll bet you are wanting explanations," he continued, ignoring the tension in the air. "Come. I will take you to my house." I looked at Amber, who nodded once.

"All right." Diego picked me up bridal style and cradled me gently into his chest, as if I were something precious. I smiled and turned my face into his chest, hiding the faint blush. He chuckled, seeing my embarrassment, but looked upward. "Have you ever wanted to fly?" he asked suddenly. I looked up at him.

"Of course. Why?" He smiled down at me before jumping straight up into the air like a rocket. I screamed, throwing my arms around his neck in a death grip, and I heard him chuckle.

"Look, Esmeralda." I slowly turned and looked down only to see the town twinkling in the night. I gasped. It was so picturesque and beautiful, like a painted backdrop only painted by the best artists. He changed directions, heading west instead of straight up. He turned me around, making me scream, and held my back against his body. "I won't drop you," he murmured into my ear. I shivered in reaction. This man was lethal. I now was facing the ground and I smiled childishly as I held my hands out like Peter Pan. My eyes closed slowly and I just reveled in the feel of the wind against me. Diego, sensing my new state of mind, swooped downwards and performed a few twists. Instead of screaming, I laughed at the sensations.

All too soon, Diego swooped towards the ground and landed in a clearing. He turned me around and I spotted a Victorian style mansion sitting in the middle of a forest. There were about five acres of cleared land and the house didn't have the finery as other mansions had. It had no fountain in the middle and only sported flowers lining the driveway. Everything else was a manicured lawn. A small iron wall surrounded the house and Diego led me to it, pushing the gate open for me.

"Do you enter out of your own free will?" he asked quietly, seriously. I shivered in reaction.

"Yes?" I asked, more of a question. He gestured inside and I stepped in his home. Immediately, I felt a small change within me, like I had done something irrevocable.

"Come inside and I will tell you all you need to know." I followed Diego inside and through the spacious foyer of his home. We ended up in a library of sorts with highly comfortable couches outlining the Persian rug in the middle of the room. "Now, I'm sure you're hungry. Would you like something to eat?" I felt a pang as I realized who had cooked me my last meal. I felt even worse to realize that I really wasn't torn up about her death. The woman had raised me as best as she could and I didn't even cry over her death.

"No," I croaked. "I'm fine." Diego cocked his head to the side but ignored the womanly statement.

"I know that you can see over long distances. I sensed you the other night, but I couldn't pinpoint your location. Why is that?" I shrugged, but pulled out a moon shaped necklace from my shirt.

"Amber gave me this. She said it was designed by Rhiannon." Diego stiffened.

"Rhiannon of the Dragonseekers?" I shrugged again.

"I don't know. That's all she told me."

"Interesting. That necklace is what kept you alive all of these years. She must have known what it does." Diego leaned forward and studied the jewelry.

"What does it do?" I asked.

"It keeps your powers invisible from both of our kind." Well, I guess she was looking out for me all along.

"Then what is your kind?"

"We are Carpathians, creatures of the night. We drink blood, which keeps us alive. We're immortal but cannot stand the sun."

"But that's vampiric!" I protested. He shook his head.

"No, the vampire is an evil creature who lives on the terror of humans and Carpathians alive. In essence, they are fallen Carpathians."

"How are they fallen?"

"To understand, you must realize that our race is dwindling near extinction. There are only a few of us left and even fewer mated pairs. A Carpathian male, once he reaches a certain age, loses the ability to feel emotions and to see colors." My eyes widened. "It happens at around 200 years, but it entirely depends on the Carpathian himself. The women, our lifemates, are the light to our darkness. They give us back our lost abilities and complete us. In recent years, there have been human women able to survive the conversion."

"Wait, I was called a lifemate!"

"Yes. You have the ability to become a Carpathian female and as a male, it is now my duty to protect you. You are valuable to our race, even if you are not mated. Sadly, you are not my lifemate, but your mate exists out in the many hunters across the world."

"So…the vampire that attacked my mother…there could be more of them?"

"There is no question. There WILL be more."

"Why? What's so special about me?"

"Because vampires are fallen Carpathians." My mouth dropped open, but no words managed to come out. A ghost of a smirk flitted across his face before he settled back into his usual impassive features. "As you know, we lose our emotions and colors after 200 years. A life without emotions is not a life at all, but there is one emotion we feel. Every time we kill, it gets harder not to stop. What I call our inner beast starts to rage and call for more blood. When the kills become too much and the call too powerful, we cross an irrevocable line, usually by killing an innocent human. That is when we become _nosferatu:_ the undead. The _nosferatu_ can inherently feel, but only thrive off of suffering and pain. Their joy is in the hunt and in the kill; it is how they can survive."

"And the hunters hunt them?" I asked. He nodded once, leaning back into the couch and throwing his arm across the top of the couch.

"Yes. Most hunters were sent out by our late prince, Vladimir Dubrinsky. Even with his death, we still continue to hunt in his name."

"So…what now?"


	3. To the Carpathian Mountains

"You will continue to go to school for the next week but you will spend the night at my house where I can adequately protect you. I'm sorry about your mother and your friend has not seen your father when she stopped by your house."

"But, why would she stop by my house?"

"Do not ask me questions you do not want to hear the answer to. I would prefer not to lie to you." My heart stopped and I blanched. She must be…cleaning. I felt the prickle of tears beginning to form and Diego was at my side, his arms around my shoulders. "I apologize for upsetting you. Please, don't cry. I'm not equipped to handle tears." I laughed a bit, my tears subsiding.

"I'm fine now. It's just, more of a shock than anything else. I don't understand how anyone could be that cruel and brutal to someone else. Then again, I never was a horror movie fan."

"I'm sorry you had to be introduced to our race this way."

"I've seen worse."

"In which I'm ashamed that I did not find you beforehand. I could have protected you." I smiled at him and lightly laid my head on his shoulder.

"Well you're here now. Isn't that enough?" He pulled away, a rueful smile on his face.

"It will never be enough," he murmured. "But come," he said before his mood could affect me. "Don't you want to come with me and explore your new home? Your friend is bringing your belongings from your home and she will arrive momentarily." I nodded once and he held out his hand. I took it and he pulled me to my feet, smiling as he did so. Of course, I blushed and looked away. His small chuckle took me by surprise but like a gentleman, he didn't comment.

As we made our way out of the room, he stopped. "It looks like your friend has arrived before I expected." He led me into the foyer once again and opened the door. Amber stood on the porch, a few bags of my things in her hands.

"I brought what I've seen you wear and some other stuff I found in your room." She held out the bags and flicked her wrists, floating the bags inside the house. My jaw dropped at her abilities and she smiled innocently. "What? It's fun. Esmeralda…" she trailed off. I stiffened at her new tone. "I was able to make it seem like your house had faulty wiring and caught fire. Your alibi is that you were staying at my house. Everyone saw us together at school today, so it should be easy. I also got something for you. But if it's too much, I'll take it back." She held out her left hand and rolled her hand over to open it. Inside laid my mother's wedding ring, the lone diamond still as beautiful as the day my father had bought it.

"Where…how…" I said as my voice became strangled with emotion. Amber kept her hand extended, waiting for my decision. I lifted my hand and touched the cold metal band and immediately knew my answer. "Thank you." I grabbed the ring and reverently held it in my fist. Diego waved his hand in the air and pulled me closer to him and opened my hand to show me the new silver necklace he had created for me. He slowly took my ring and slid it over the necklace, then pulled my hair away from the back of my neck tenderly. The metal felt cold against my skin but Diego simply hooked the necklace and stepped away from me. "Thank you…both of you. I'm going to stop before I get all sentimental because then it'll just be too awkward."

"That's probably good for Diego's sake," Amber teased. Who knew the school's creepy girl had a sense of humor? Hell, who knew that she was actually hiding such a secret?

"You would be the one to cast the spell of happiness, mage," he muttered.

"There is no such spell," Amber retorted huffily.

"Then what kind of mage are you?" Diego asked again.

"I was taught by Szayel," stated Amber with a smug grin on her face. Diego stiffened and I felt the tension levels rising. Diego grabbed my arm and pulled me behind him, elongating his fingers into talons once more.

"You were taught by a vampire?"

"You're stupid if you think that. I mean, if it was a vampire, why am I alive right now? He's a Carpathian in disguise. He's been that way for centuries and he's known as 'ruthless'. It's an excuse to kill a vampire."

"You guys have undercover agents?" I asked excitedly. "That's so awesome! It's James Bond on crack!" After I said my statement, the tension slowly floated away once more. I guess this type of conversation means I'll have to walk on eggshells to get answers.

"I'll see you at school tomorrow," Amber said with a slight smile. "Remember, I'm the creepy girl." I blushed a bit but she just laughed and waved before vanishing in a flash of white light.

"Now that tonight is over, allow me to show you to your new room." Diego swept his hand, like a gentleman of the old times of chivalry. Of course, I giggled, much to my chagrin. Diego probably sensed my irritation at myself and grinned, but didn't say a word. He's a smart little Carpathian, isn't he?

"Sounds fine by me." He led me upstairs and down a few doors before opening the door on the left.

"Here is your room, Esmeralda. I hope it is to your liking. If not, I'm sure we can find one suitable for your tastes." When he said 'tastes', it sent a shiver down my spine. It wasn't fear, but…elation; a type of thrill adrenaline junkies strive their whole lives to fulfill. I now belonged in a world kept from modern societies, a secret that bonded Diego, Amber, and I in a way that my human friends never fulfilled before. I simply belonged.

"It's beautiful, Diego," I said breathlessly as I took a look around the room.

"Then I leave you to sleep. It's very late and you must go to school tomorrow."

"For a week," I stated.

"Yes. Say goodbye to your human friends as soon as you can and savor the last days you have with them. I'm trying to repress my Carpathian instincts."

"Carpathian instincts?"

"Yes. I want nothing more than to convert you and bring you back to Mikhail." At my questioning look, he continued, "Mikhail Dubrinsky, our new prince. After this week, we will go to see him and he will decide about your conversion."

"Conversion?" I asked.

"This is not the time to engage in this discussion, Esmeralda. Put all of your energy into this last week of being human. It will have to last through the centuries."

Six days had passed and I had lived like never before. I had done things I wanted to do, trivial things such as trying sushi. Coincidently, sushi wasn't catered to my taste, but Amber seemed to love it. The next on my 'to do' list was bungee jump. Easier said than done. I ended up jumping off of a local bridge, much to Diego's persistent declaration that I shouldn't do it.

Many other things followed, Amber taking part in them as well, and finally the day came. I was sitting in the playground near my parent's home, waiting for Victoria and Catie. Amber was beside me, aimlessly swinging and kicking the sand beneath her feet.

"They here yet?" she asked for the billionth time today.

"Nope," I answered for the billionth time. She then continued to kick the sand, trying to amuse herself. Finally, I spotted my friends coming toward me, both laughing about something. Catie put her hand on Victoria's shoulder and leaned her head on her hand. Victoria, in turn, rested her hand on Catie's head. I felt a pang at the sight. I was going to leave all I've ever known tonight. There would be no more of Victoria's sarcasm and Catie's storytelling. No more sitting on Victoria's couch eating popcorn and watching the _Indiana Jones_ series.

"Hey Esmeralda!" Catie said, jogging over to us. Victoria followed her and when she reached me, she tensed.

"What is it?" she asked, seriously. "What happened to you?" I shook my head. Catie glanced between us, sensing the tension in the air.

"I'm leaving," I simply stated.

"Why?" Catie asked.

"Oh, you wouldn't believe me," I muttered. At her pleading glance, I sighed. "It turns out that the vampires I've been seeing aren't vampires at all. They are Carpathians. Vampires are fallen Carpathians, turned evil and they prey on mankind."

"What?" Catie asked. I sighed and smiled at my new analogy.

"A Carpathian would be Edward, from Twilight. He's the good guy. The vampires would be James. Of course, the book is nothing like Carpathians and vampires from our day and time. Regardless, I'm in danger here. I have to leave somewhere safe where you will not be hurt."

"DAMMIT! THAT'S ENOUGH!" I glanced toward Victoria, already expecting the yelling. "I've put up with this long enough! There are no such things as vampires or Carpathians! You need to get your head out of this nonsense long enough to realize that this is just a fantasy that you've conjured." Amber immediately leapt to my defense.

"She's telling the truth!" she said.

"Shut up, creepy girl," Victoria snarled. "You, Esmeralda, need some serious psychiatric help." I felt the pain of her words seep into my heart and I hung my head.

"_What is wrong, mor-forwyn?" _My head snapped up at my god's voice. How could he speak to me now? I wasn't sleeping.

"I mean, vampires are myth and legend, but you…you've read too many books for your own damn good," Victoria continued. "I understand the stress from your parent's death and realize this probably helped with your break from reality! Maybe this is the beginnings of dissociative fugue!"

"Actually, dissociative fugue is when you suddenly leave home without warning and begin a whole new life, forgetting the life you had before. She's telling us she's leaving so-" Victoria slapped Catie's arm.

"Shut up! She's leaving us, don't you see that? All because of some delusions she created in her head!"

"_Who is hurting you?"_ my god asked again.

"I've had enough of you," Amber said, stepping between Victoria and I. "She's telling the damned truth." To complete her statement, Amber created a white ball of light in her hand once more and fired it off into a tree to her right. The tree exploded into two pieces and the top piece slowly fell to the ground with a crunching sound. All the while, Amber didn't take her eyes off of Victoria. "I'm a mage, another race you pathetic humans don't know about. She has seen vampires and Carpathians."

"_Nobody," _I answered, trying to control my volatile emotions. In doing so, I felt my god leave me again.

"There are more races?" Catie asked cautiously. Victoria snapped her open jaw shut and glared at Amber, her rage at my leaving still out of control.

"Hah! There are even werewolves and shape-shifters, and boy, you guys fucked up the information on those races."

"You can't believe this crap," Victoria drawled, staring derisively at Catie. She pointed to the tree.

"That convinces me." She turned toward me and walked over to my swing, kneeling by my side. "Why are you leaving exactly?"

"Carpathians are born one half to a whole. The men lose all emotions and colors 200 years into their lives. They spend the rest of their lives searching for the woman to complete their soul. I'm one such woman." Catie sat silent a moment, contemplating.

"Go. This is an opportunity not many people have, I can tell. Go and complete the heart of a Carpathian. Have great sex while you're at it." She instantly hugged me, her tears spilling out of her eyes. "Promise me you'll see me sometime with your man in tow." Her light humor had a positive effect and I laughed softly.

"I promise, Catie." I stood when she let me go and turned toward Victoria, who had calmed down. Her gaze was fixed on the destroyed tree and I could tell she was deep in thought.

"The vampires were coming after you, weren't they?" I nodded.

"They wanted me to complete their own soul…damn, that sounds corny." As I wrinkled my nose in slight disgust and Victoria chuckled at my attempt at humor.

"Then I guess you've found a Carpathian?" I nodded again. "Like Catie said, go. If that's what it takes for you to be safe, go. I don't want to be selfish and kill you because you're unprotected." She stopped for a moment then reached into the back of her jeans. "Here's your protection," she said, locking her mischievous eyes with mine and slapping a condom into my hand. I sighed and blushed at the same time, causing Victoria to laugh. She quickly hugged me and just as quickly released me. "Go now, before I changed my mind. And you better tell your Carpathian friend that if you get hurt, I'll feed him his nuts for lunch." I tucked the condom into my back pocket and Amber slid over to my side. She began to chant as her hands moved gracefully in the air. I felt a slight tingle and closed my eyes.

"Welcome," Diego said, causing me to open my eyes. I was once again at his house and Amber was by my side.

"I'll come by later, but I must relay this information to Szayel. I'll meet you at the Carpathian Mountains." With another chant she disappeared, leaving me alone with the handsome Carpathian.

"With the sun setting soon, I'll be able to help transport you to my private jet. We'll travel that way and arrive in Romania within a couple hours."

"A private jet? Sweet!" I cried, pumping my fist in the air. He smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. I sobered instantly.

"What troubles you?" Diego asked, catching on to my mood swing.

"You. You can't feel joy." He shook his head.

"I could, but I cannot. I am not your lifemate."

"What do you mean, you could?"

"I am able to read your mind, if you permit me to."

"Do it," I said instantly. His eyes locked onto mine. "I may not be proud of what I've done, but you're taking care of me and you saved me from the vampire earlier this week. You deserve to feel, so read my mind. Now," I stated. He stared me down but I kept my gaze steady and unwavering.

"Is this what you wish?"

"You would know if you read my mind." With a slight grin, he closed his eyes and immediately I felt the presence of another in my mind. However, it was pleasant; wherever Diego went, a warmth spread. It was initially weird and awkward but after our minds fully merged, I smiled at Diego. He took a deep breath and crushed me to his chest tightly. He slowly let his breath out and opened his eyes. I felt his wonder and gratitude as a well of emotions spewing out of his heart. It was phenomenal and so utterly powerful that my knees buckled. Diego was there to catch me of course.

"You have no idea of the gift you give me," he murmured lowly into my ear, keeping me close to him. I shivered in reaction.

"I can feel it too," I said. The emotions were still heady and raw, exploding between the two of us. All good things come to an end and this ended as he clamped down on his emotions.

"Come. We must go to our jet. My limo is waiting outside." I wrapped my arms around his right arm and he smiled down warmly at me. He walked outside into the night and into the limo. I slid in beside of him, not willing to release him just yet. I mean, this was still like a dream to me.

"Trust me. This is no dream of yours."

"I can tell this is going to be a challenge," I said. "What if I'm watching a porno?" He looked taken aback for a second.

"A lady shouldn't talk of such things," he said, staring me down. However, I could feel his mischievousness and I grinned. "Of course, I'll be happy to educate you on such matters." I slapped his arm.

"Behave, will you?" He smiled, totally unrepentant.

"I believe you started this conversation?"

"Well…yeah, but…you know." Diego threw his head back and laughed a hearty laugh, one that was full of mirth. As I watched, his eyes locked on mine and I saw the amusement lurking in their black depths. He pulled me on his lap and cradled me to his chest, nuzzling my neck.

"You are such a treasure, Esmeralda. I envy your lifemate."

"You will until you find your own lifemate."

"Then you'll just have to become second," he shot back.

"I'm so easily tossed aside?"

"Unless you want to provide some relief to my manly needs." I blushed and slapped his chest. He laughed again and pulled me against him, just savoring the feel of emotions paired with human contact.


	4. Meeting the Prince

As I boarded the private jet, my age slowly started to evaporate and I began to excitedly bounce around like a little kid. I darted inside, ignoring the smiling attendant at the top of the stairs, and looked around. It looked exactly like I had imagined, with seats facing one another, a couch in the back along with a mini bar, and other assorted accessories strewn about.

"Do you like it?" Diego asked from right behind me. I jumped, startled, and was met with one of his wolfish, mischievous smiles.

"Yes! It's awesome! I've never been in a plane before!" He cocked his head to the side.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"I'm honored to give you your first time." I glared, immediately sensing his underlying joke.

"Ha ha, Diego. Ha ha." Again, he smiled and gestured to the seats in the middle of the plane.

"Would you like a window seat?" I bolted toward the seat and plastered myself against the window, looking at anything and everything. My eyes widened as I spotted the setting sun and I whirled back to Diego. "I'm fine," he said, reading my mind. "Carpathians, unlike vampires, can go into the morning or evening light if we train ourselves to. Of course, the pain is still there, but bearable."

"We should have waited," I stated.

"No. The trip will take time and I wish to arrive at night. I do not want to wait to see our prince. It has been too long." With his new emotions, I could feel the new feelings he held inside of him. He was proud of Mikhail yet lonely from the separation of him and his homeland. He was excited to return to his age old home once again.

"I bet he'll be surprised."

"He will feel my presence the minute I touch the soil of my homeland."

"Well that's no fun," I muttered. Diego finally took the seat beside of me and the attendants went to the front of the airplane to strap themselves in for takeoff. The conversation forgotten, I plastered myself against the window as I heard the jet engines start. I looked in fascination as the turbines began to push the plane faster. I felt the pressure begin to press against me and I leaned back into my seat, still looking out of the window. I gasped as we finally lifted off and watched as the ground began to get farther and farther away from me. I leaned up again and looked down to see the countryside below me. It was so beautiful from this point of view! A few moments later we hit the clouds and the plane began to shake slightly. I gripped the seats and looked to Diego for reassurance.

"It's only the clouds," he answered, his voice calm and soothing.

"But they're clouds! It's just water vapor! Why is it shaking the plane?"

"Because the moisture is in a current. Heat from the earth makes the water and air rise inside of the cloud, causing the plane to shake." I gave him a look of disbelief. "It's the truth, Esmeralda."

"No one asked you to bring logic into this conversation," I muttered.

"And would you have rather heard me say that the turbine has just failed and we are going down to hit the earth and become a fireball of molten metal?" I paled and he laughed, but slung and arm around my shoulders in reassurance. "I would never let such a thing happen to you, Esmeralda." He nuzzled my hair and I blushed.

"Your lifemate's going to kill you one day. In fact, I hope she does." He chuckled.

"I hope she'll be like you." I blushed deeper as he whispered the statement into my ear.

"I hate you." Again, he laughed, and I snuck a peek at him. His eyes, once cold and frigid, were dancing with merriment and laughter. I finally realized that the plane had stopped shaking and I relaxed a bit.

"And it's because of your gift. I'll treasure your selflessness for all time."

"Me? Selfless? All humans have selfish tendencies," I said, laughing. "Don't let me fool you."

"Well, you're beautiful and that makes up for it."

"Oh dear god, will you stop!" I cried out in exasperation.

"But I love to see you blush." So much for a good little Carpathian. "And I'm not little."

"No!" I said, pointing my finger at him. "We're not going there!" He smiled wolfishly.

"And why is that?" he asked innocently. Too innocently.

"Because," I said, the blush never leaving my face. "It's just not right. And…er…my lifemate will kill you! So hah!" He gave me a look that made me feel like I had just said the lamest comeback in the world.

"Your lifemate couldn't handle me," he said, finally dissolving the look into a smile.

"Oh yes he could," I said, crossing my arms huffily, my eyes glinting with mischievousness. "He'd kick your ass."

"I'd love to see him try."

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

After our few hours of bantering, the day caught up with me and I closed my eyes and snuggled into my seat to take a nap. Diego, not knowing I was still partially awake, dropped a cover over me and leaned the seat all the way back into a recliner. He then kissed my forehead, stroked my cheek, and leaned back into his own seat, letting me fall asleep.

_I woke again, but gasped, amazed. I wasn't in the darkness I was used to. I was now looking through my god's eyes!_

"_Mor-forwyn?" he questioned in his mind._

"_You…can feel me?" I asked._

"_Of course I can. How could I not?" The silence stretched on._

"_Where are you?"_

"_I am on my way to visit my prince to gain his approval." Why was he hedging so much tonight? What was wrong? Did I do something? "You have done nothing wrong," he answered in the low pitched sexual purr he managed to voice so well. I felt the impression of a hand skimming my cheek and I gasped. How did he do that? He chuckled. "I can do many things," he stated. "Most would confuse your fragile mind."_

"_I don't have a fragile mind," I ground out, my temper flaring. "I may be human but I've seen things too!"Why the hell was I defending myself to him? Why couldn't I stop?_

"_Oh?" he asked, disbelief in his tone. "And what would that be?"_

"_I've seen shape-shifting," I said, rising to my feet and glaring, though it was odd looking through his eyes. "I've seen vampires feed and humans die by their hand. I've seen my mom killed and a vampire's heart ripped out. I've seen your world and I'm ready to accept it as such, so don't give me that cock and bull excuse that I haven't seen anything!" As I finished my speech, I realized I had just yelled and lost my temper to someone who didn't even give a damn. I growled out, pissed at my god for the moment, and turned away, breaking my gaze with his. At once, I was back to the cold blackness with only his emotions to contend with. "Now what did Diego say…" I muttered, tapping my finger to my lips. "To block my mind, I must imagine an inanimate object and focus on it. He said to start with a brick wall…God, this sounds stupid." Still pissed and getting more so at the lack of answer from my god, I simply imagined a brick wall. A red brick wall with the cement in between the blocks. _

"_You think you can hide from me?" he asked, a hint of anger laced with disbelief and amusement in his voice._

"_Watch me," I retorted. There was a chip on the second brick from the left, one row from the top. On the one above that, the corner was a bit rounded. On the opposite side, the far right brick had a scar, from probably a scalpel. _

"_You will not be able to do this. I am an ancient of our kind and you are a mere fledgling, though you do wield great power for one so young."_

"_Diego!" I cried out. "I need your help." I felt Diego's awareness in my mind and he assessed the situation. _

"_Who is Diego?" my god snarled. I felt the impression of red hot anger…almost beastlike in nature, well up from my god._

"_Anytime would be nice, buddy." I felt Diego's mind clamp down on my own, adding his strength to the mental block. I felt my god reaching for me and I stiffened in surprise as I felt my own mind trying to reach for his. I turned my mind back in, though I felt a sense of loss, and concentrated on the brick wall._

"_Leave my päläfertiilam alone! I will not have you in her mind!" I could feel the rage spewing forth from my god._

"_Take me out of here, Diego!" I cried out, suddenly afraid. I shied away from my god and began to run, clutching my arms to my chest in a protective gesture. "Please!" I felt my god grow angrier with my words and I shivered. How could my god, who I had known through all of these years, have this type of rage? I had never felt anything like this from him before. I felt Diego's power grow into my mind and I felt the actual severing of my god from within my mind. How had he gotten there?_

I jumped awake and looked frantically around. The plane was descending and the seatbelt light was flashing. Diego was looking at me, his face impassive like he had been without our mind merge.

"Who was he?" Diego asked softly.

"I…I've had dreams about him. I call him… 'my god'. I thought I was just making it up! He was in my mind and I didn't even know it! What if he was a vampire? Oh god!" I buried my face in my hands. I knew the raw fear and adrenaline were catching up to me and I knew that Diego felt it too. He took pity on me and drew me into his chest, simply stroking my hair while I cried from the adrenaline overload. "I thought I was protected…Does this mean that vampires can get into my mind too?"

"No," Diego answered in a calming voice. "That was a Carpathian male. You are under no threat to him; he will never harm you. However, he is unmated, which is a dangerous combination. The necklace around your neck will protect you from vampires entering your mind." I was quiet for a moment.

"You said this necklace was Rhiannon's, right? Who was she?"

"She was one of the most revered Carpathian women of her time. She was captured by a dark mage and experimented on."

"Why?"

"He wanted immortality and he believed the answer to be in Rhiannon's blood. However, she has known descendants. One is Dominic, an ancient of our kind. Another is Colby Jansen, a recently turned human woman. The last is Natalya Shonski, lifemate to Vikirnoff."

"I don't know any of these people." Diego lowered his head and placed a kiss on my temple.

"You might meet these people when we go to Mikhail. However, I will supply you with the information if such a situation arises. I'm just preparing you, giving you information so it will be in your mind."

"Thanks," I whispered.

"Look," Diego said, breaking off the somewhat tense conversation by pointing out of the window. I saw the ground coming closer and I found myself plastered to the window, watching the plane land.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Diego led me outside of the plane, where a small carriage was waiting for us. My gaze was immediately drawn to the horses, seeing as I secretly loved riding them.

"Then I should take you riding." I blushed a bit but kept looking at the horses. Diego led me over to the carriage and helped me inside. He sat next to me and the driver flicked the reins, apparently already knowing where to take us.

"Where are we going?" I asked Diego.

"We are going to an inn not far from here. It is owned by a woman named Slavica and she is a close friend of my family."

"All right."

"_**She is a close friend of our people, Esmeralda. She is one of the few humans who know of our existence. We protect her as she protects us. Mikhail has been watching over her family for centuries."**_ I twitched as I first heard his voice inside of my mind. Only my god spoke to me that way and it was disconcerting not to hear his voice.

"_**Your prince is a good man,"**_ I said.

"_**And his lifemate a good woman."**_

"_**He has a lifemate?"**_I asked, surprised.

"_**Yes. Her name is Raven. Raven Dubrinsky."**_ True to Diego's word, we arrived at an inn. Diego stepped out and held his hand for me. I took it and he helped me down.

"It's so beautiful here, Diego."

"Would you like to go for a walk?" he asked. I sensed an underlying theme to his words and I nodded. Diego nodded once to the driver and offered me the crook of his arm. I took it and we began to stroll down the street towards the woods. Once we entered the actual woods, Diego scooped me in his arms and bolted. I threw my arms around his neck in sheer preservation for my sanity. He was using supernatural speed to travel, and the S.O.B. didn't even warn me. I felt his laughter in my mind but I was too afraid to retaliate. A few moments later, we slowed to a normal walk but I didn't relinquish the hold on his neck.

"Don't worry, my love. We're here." With an oath, I wriggled out of Diego's arms and threw a solid punch to his chest. He easily caught it, threw his head back, and laughed. I glowered.

"Oh laugh it up, pretty boy," I grumbled.

"Diego! It has been a long time, my friend." I felt Diego sober, yet I felt pride and a sense of coming home. I turned to see a beautiful man, oozing an Old World aura. He had long hair tied by a thong and his eyes shone with emotion as he looked at Diego. The woman at his side had an arm around his waist and her eyes were shining. I assumed her to be Raven, lifemate to Mikhail.

"Mikhail, my prince." Mikhail left his lifemate's side and embraced the hunter. Both men stared at one another, grinning. I felt the force of Diego's emotions and smiled at him.

"Is this your lifemate?" Raven asked.

"No," I answered.

"But how can this be? Diego has his emotions. Why is she not his lifemate?"

"I offered him entrance into my mind. He feels what I feel."

"It does not work that way," Mikhail argued. "He should only feel your emotions, not have emotions of his own."

"We can discuss this inside," Raven said, gesturing toward a looming mansion behind her. I gaped. This was the biggest house I had ever seen! Raven led me inside while the two Carpathian men brought up the rear. She sat on the couch and gestured for me to sit beside of her. I appreciated the gesture. It made me feel welcome.

"Now tell me everything," Mikhail commanded. Diego complied and retold our story up until meeting the prince. Mikhail turned his gaze on me and I wanted to shrink back. What had I done wrong?

"You've done nothing wrong, my love." Funny, I actually appreciated the endearment now.

"May I search your mind?" Mikhail asked. I stiffened but Raven, sensing my distress, put her hand on my own.

"It's all right. My lifemate means no harm." I looked at Diego, who nodded once.

"All right," I said, my voice shaky. I grasped Raven's hand as I felt Mikhail slowly enter my mind. I felt him go through my memories and search for something Diego and I had missed. Finally, he pulled out, smiling.

"You are a psychic," Mikhail announced. "However, you deal with emotions rather than telekinesis or precognition. You are able to gift the ability to our males to feel emotion, much like you have with Diego. When he exits your mind, the gift will be gone. However, that is a great power you wield, Esmeralda."


	5. The Dreaded Conversion

"You are a psychic," Mikhail announced. "However, you deal with emotions rather than telekinesis or precognition. You are able to gift the ability to our males to feel emotion, much like you have with Diego. When he exits your mind, the gift will be gone. However, that is a great power you wield, Esmeralda."

"Thank you…my prince."

"Please," said Mikhail with a smile. "Call me Mikhail." I nodded.

"And we haven't been properly introduced," Raven stated. She shook my hand. "I'm Raven, lifemate to Mikhail."

"And I'm Esmeralda." The room fell silent for a moment before Diego brought up the reason why we were here.

"My prince, I've brought Esmeralda here because she is a Carpathian woman. However, she has not found her lifemate yet." He turned to me. "Usually the women are turned by their lifemate, but you're a special case." He then directed the conversation back to Mikhail. "I want your approval to convert her. She needs to be protected and she's vulnerable as a human." Mikhail nodded.

"Yes. Jacques is due tomorrow with his lifemate, Shea. She is a renowned healer," he said, looking at me. "She can help you with the conversion." I nodded. I had little to no idea about the conversion, but I was ready for my new life. "It is late, or early by Esmeralda's standards. The sun is about to rise and I must go to ground." Ground? Go to _ground_? The fuck?

"Carpathians sleep in the soil. The nutrients replenish our powers as we sleep the healing sleep of our people. We do not dream; we just sleep and wake."

"You don't sleep…in a coffin?" The three Carpathians laughed.

"No, we do not."

"How do you sleep in the soil?" I asked. Raven rose and everyone followed suit. I followed her down a flight of stairs to the basement, where there was a room full of soil. Raven swept her arm and a crack in the earth formed. My mouth dropped to the floor in surprise.

"You too will learn these powers," Raven said. "I will see you momentarily, lifemate. I will show Esmeralda her room." Again I dutifully followed Raven out of the basement and up another flight of stairs. She stopped at a richly furnished room and led me inside. There was a king sized mattress along with various works of art strewn across the room. "You will sleep here tonight. Do not worry; Mikhail has strewn his best safeguards this night. Even Diego has added to the spell."

"Safeguards?" I questioned.

"Well…They are spells, essentially. They are powerful magics designed to keep us safe during the day, when we are most vulnerable."

"Thank you, Raven." She placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Remember, you're no longer alone. You are one of us now, though you haven't gone through the conversion. Sleep well, Esmeralda." She left the room and shut the door behind her.

"_**Where are you, Diego?"**_ I asked telepathically.

"_**I'm going to ground as well."**_ For a slight moment, I felt an overwhelming sense of panic. _**"Don't worry. I will be there if you call for me."**_

"_**But you said you just sleep."**_

"_**It is true. We stop our hearts and lungs while we rest, but if you call me for me, I will wake. My mind is firmly entrenched in yours. I will feel you if you are afraid." **_I was quiet for a moment.

"_**Why do they need a healer for a conversion?"**_ I felt Diego's mind still but I waited.

"_**It is a painful process. Your organs will be reshaped and you expel your human blood as well as any toxins inside of your body."**_

"_**But…that would kill you!"**_

"_**Many of the Carpathian women have gone through the process."**_

"_**Really?" **_

"_**Yes. Raven was the first human women to be converted and she is the catalyst that is slowly bringing our race back from extinction. Since human women have the ability to be converted, many of our hunters have been saved from the darkness. She will be with you during the conversion. She will help you." **_I felt Diego's mind finally begin to still. _**"Now I must sleep, my love. You should sleep too. You will need your strength."**_ As he spoke his last statement, his mind finally shut off, leaving a blank void. It was disconcerting to say the least. I was used to having him with me. Now I felt kind of lonely. I crawled into bed and clutched Rhiannon's necklace in my hand.

"Rhiannon," I prayed. "Give me strength." Almost if my necklace heard me, it warmed in my hand.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

I woke only to see darkness. I had slept the day away but I didn't get up. I was afraid of the conversion. I knew it was cowardly, to be sure, but Diego had made it sound…scary. Not at all like the simple vampiric bite-and-you-go-vampy.

"_**Come downstairs, Esmeralda, my love. It's time."**_

"_**I'm not your love,"**_ I argued, a smile on my face. I heard Diego's laughter and I sat up only to spot clothing at the foot of my bed. I inwardly thanked whoever had left them for me and I dressed quickly and bounded down the stairs. I spotted Raven and Mikhail immediately. She was sitting beside of him on the couch I had occupied last night. Diego was sitting on a chair, and two other Carpathians sat across from Mikhail. I could tell they were Carpathians because of the haunting, ethereal beauty they excluded. The redheaded woman came to her feet.

"You are Esmeralda? I have heard so much about you. I'm Shea."

"_**Shea's gone through the conversion and she is alive and well."**_ Diego's information helped kindle my spirits. If Shea and Raven could do it, then I could do. I would just have to have faith in these women and men.

"I'm Esmeralda," I said. "But you knew that already." She gestured to the Carpathian beside of her. He sported a thin scar across this throat but he still oozed elegance and Carpathian sensuality.

"I am Jacques," he stated, placing his arm over Shea's shoulders. She smiled up at him and he kissed the top of her head.

"Please," Raven said. "Sit down. We must discuss the details of the conversion." Diego gestured to me and I walked over to him. He pulled me onto his lap and I grabbed his hand for mental support. I felt his soothing touch in my mind, but I was still nervous about the conversion. "The conversion, as you have probably heard, is a painful process. But to begin the actual change, you must swap blood three times with a Carpathian male. Ordinarily, it is your lifemate, but in this case, it will be Diego." I couldn't help the relief in my mind and Diego began to softly stroke my hand with this thumb. "After you have finished, you will be brought down to our sleeping chambers so we can help you." I nodded once. "After you have rid yourself of the toxins inside of your body, you will be put into a healing sleep, where you will rest in the earth to recover your strength. Is there any questions?" I shook my head.

Raven nodded once to Diego and he stood in one fluid motion, transferring me into his arms. He carried me from the room and led me back where I had slept the last night. He sat me on the edge of the bed and stroked my jaw.

"Do not be afraid, Esmeralda."

"I'm trying."

"Your lifemate is going to kill me for this." With that, Diego leaned forward and kissed me senseless. I stiffened, but Diego knew what he was doing. He kissed a path from my mouth to the side of my neck. He licked my pulse once and began to nibble. I was dying with anticipation and Diego didn't disappoint me. He sank his fangs into my neck, which brought an initial pain. However, the pain faded and brought such an intense pleasure that I moaned in ecstasy. All too soon he pulled away, but he sliced his chest with a talon formed on his hand. "Drink, Esmeralda." I shuddered but dutifully lapped once at the blood. "You need more blood than that, my love."

"How much," I asked, immediately suspicious, "do I need?"

"I will put you under a compulsion." I shrugged, knowing it was the only way that I was going to drink his blood. True to his word, my mind slipped firmly into Diego's control, taking away my consciousness.

As I came around, I noticed that all of my Carpathian friends were gathered around me. I was in a cave of some sort, which sparkled with beautiful crystals. A small bubbling pool was a mere foot away and a small waterfall cascaded into the pool. It helped relax me as I came completely to my senses.

"Hello, Esmeralda," the sweet voice of Raven said. "The conversion will start very soon. We are all here to help you." As I looked around, I saw Raven kneeling by my head, stroking my hair. Mikhail stood beside of her. Shea and Jacques were by my stomach both murmuring a chant. Diego knelt beside of Jacques, his voice also adding to the chant. However, this wasn't an ordinary chant. I could sense the power of the words, and somehow I knew this was an ancient, nearly dead language.

"The chant," Mikhail said, probably sensing my confusion, "is a healing chant, one sacred and imprinted on our Carpathian people at birth. It will help with your conversion-" He was cut off by my exhalation of breath. My gut seemed to have taken a blow and suffice to say, it hurt. Instead of the blunt pain, it began to worsen to the point that it felt like my insides were being tortured by a blowtorch. Sweat broke out on my forehead.

"Do not worry," Diego said, breaking away from the chant. "This is the conversion. Breath slowly and easily. Do not fight the pain. Accept it."

"_**Who is hurting you?"**__ the enraged voice of my god bellowed. "__**Tell me!**__" _

"_**It hurts…**__" I managed to think. "__**I thought I could go through the conversion…**__"_

"_**They are converting you? Without me?**__"_

"_**It hurts…I never want to do this again…Please…make it stop!**__" There was silence and I felt a kiss on my brow._

"_**If I could, I would. I would give you anything, but I cannot do this for you.**__"_

"Easy for you to say," I ground out between clenched teeth, the pain subsiding momentarily. "You guys don't give birth and you didn't have to go through the damn conversion." This earned a slight laugh from Raven but I didn't have time to appreciate it. The pain came again, this time making my body jerk with the pain. I flipped over, crawled a few feet away from the Carpathians, and hurled, much to my shame. However, instead of feeling better, I hurled a few more times, the taste bitter in my mouth. Yet as soon as that thought registered, the taste disappeared as well as the toxins on the ground. The pain subsided again and I dropped onto my stomach, breathing. Yet the wave of pain came again with a vengeance and I writhed violently. I was unsure of how much time passed after that moment; I was no longer sane. Yet I welcomed the sound of Mikhail's voice as he said,

"It is safe to put her to sleep."

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

I woke in small degrees, noticing that I was in the room I inhabited before my conversion. As I looked around, I realized that it was indeed nighttime. My body, however, wasn't sore at all, as if it didn't feel any adverse effects from the conversion. I rose from the bed slowly and walked into the bathroom. When I looked into the mirror, I was amazed. Ironically, I was impressed I could see my reflection, which disproved that myth.

On the flipside, my reflection was beautiful. My hair was longer, thicker, and more luxurious, my lips plumper, my facial features more elegant like those of an aristocrat. My lashes were thicker and longer and my vibrant eyes seemed more beautiful. As I looked down at my body, the faint traces of fat I had once had were gone. I was perfectly toned and shaped like a model. Even the chest region was well stocked.

"Oh my god," I murmured, touching my now flawless skin. "I'm beautiful!"

"You were always beautiful to me, love." My eyes glanced behind me, through the mirror, and I spotted Diego. He was leaning against the wall behind me, watching the scrutiny of my body. "You have also survived the conversion. I am impressed and proud of you." I smiled gently.

"Thank you, Diego." He smiled, knowing the thoughts running through my head.

"I will always watch over you, Esmeralda. I will never abandon you." He hugged me from behind in a brotherly embrace and kissed my cheek. As I watched him through the mirror, I gasped. My eyes were flaring red! Diego stiffened and I felt him take hold of my mind. As he gripped tighter, I realized that I was not alone in my mind. My god had stealthily invaded the private corners of my mind to retaliate against Diego. I felt Diego's pain as he fought against my assailant, so I added my power to the mix. It wasn't much, though it was enough to throw my god from my mind all together. I heard a howl of defeat and felt possessive hands on my waist as my god left me. Again, I felt that irritating regret, as if I was losing something special to me.

"This is getting annoying," I muttered.

"You must be careful. He is no mere fledgling."

"Fledgling?"

"A baby of our people. This man is an ancient, one of our most powerful. I feel his strength and his resolve to come for you. We must leave this place."

"But Mikhail-"

"Wouldn't want to keep you from seeing Scotland, would he?" Oh, the miserable wretch. He knew my weaknesses well. I eyed him with suspicion.

"Would we actually go?"

"Yes."

"Can we go to the Highlands as well?"

"Yes."

"Can we go to Stirling Bridge?"

"Yes."

"Hadrian's wall?"

"Yes." I eyed him closely and even felt for any signs of a lie. When there was nothing to base my suspicions on, I smiled.

"Good. When do we leave?"

"Tonight. We will head to Slovakia by dawn and then we will rest."

"Are you sure he will let us leave?"

"Of course." Sure enough, ten minutes later I found myself on a balcony beside of Diego. "Since this will be your first time," he began. I snorted and he fought to keep a smile from surfacing. "Immature brat."

"I am not a brat!"

"Since this will be your first time," he began with a small glare, "I will hold the picture in your mind. The importance of shapeshifting should be obvious. If you do not understand and realize even the smallest details, you could potentially die." I gulped. "Fortunately, I will hold the image for you so you can focus on flying."

"Flying?"

"Yes. You will become an owl, much like the white one in your head." I stared, confused, then it clicked.

"You mean Hedwig?"

"Yes. That owl."

"I'm going to have to make you read Harry Potter."

"And I will endeavor to make you read The Art of War." I glared.

"Couldn't you have picked a better one?" He only smiled then held out his arms. Before my eyes, I saw his bones pop and his skin shrink to soon become feathers. I shivered, uncannily aware what was going on. Once he was completely transformed, the owl turned its head toward me, pushed off with its feet, and flapped its wings. Once it was airborne, I watched closely how to hold my wings. After a few seconds, he landed on the balcony, talons first, flapping his wings to balance himself.

"_Are you ready?_" I nodded and I immediately saw the picture of Hedwig in my mind. Then I felt my bones popping and skin stretching. I wanted to shudder, but my own body physically couldn't. However, the transformation was smoother and over quickly, which made me glad. I blinked my eyes furiously, trying to get used to the night vision I now possessed, and looked toward Diego. He blinked owlishly at me, as ironic as that sounds, but I recognized that he was only waiting for me to begin to fly.

Instead of using the balcony like he did, I tested out my new wings, stretching them and getting a feel for my new muscles. It was a different, yet exhilarating experience to behold. I folded my wings again, the hopped around. The talons were a bit on the tricky side, and I fell over. I scrambled back up, embarrassed, but I felt waves of encouragement from Diego. Once I felt comfortable with my new body, I flapped my wings furiously, gaining a bit of air to latch onto the banister railing. I held my breath, then made the leap of faith. I flapped my wings and was surprised to find myself climbing higher into the sky.

Diego, who leapt when I did, was below me, making sure to catch me if I fell. Suddenly, I felt an upward draft and simply soared to a higher altitude. Once it was gone, I leveled out, and Diego took his place by my side. As I looked around me, I saw the most pristine picture I had ever seen. This Carpathian Mountain range was the most beautiful place on earth, especially with a bird's eye view. After a few minutes of flight, Diego suddenly dove, then pulled out. Grinning inwardly, I folded my wings and hurtled myself towards earth. After a few exhilarating seconds, I pulled out of my steep dive and flapped my wings to gain my altitude again.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

After many hours of fast and phenomenal flight, we finally made it to the borders of Slovakia. Diego, who saw a nice landing strip (otherwise known as a farming field), banked until he was skimming the ground. He then ran a bit, holding his wings out for balance, then finally came to a halt and folded his wings into the ground. I circled above, not really wanting to land. The landing was always the hardest part of the trip. Though I had not actually tried to land before, I somehow knew it would be a bitch. To my surprise, Diego transformed back into his human form and turned to me. Again, I was taken by his startling masculine beauty, though it didn't stir me in the ways of a woman. Was there something wrong with me?

"There is not, Esmeralda. Come, land and we will go to ground." I finally made the last loop and made a straight line to land. I banked, wobbled a bit, and nearly flapped my wings to gain altitude. "Trust me, Esmeralda," he murmured, holding out his arms. On a random impulse, I adjusted my descent and flew towards him. As I neared him, I flapped my wings to slow myself, but he was able to gently catch me. I folded my wings in and he held me tenderly to his chest.

"Come, Esmeralda. Let us sleep." He placed me on the ground and I underwent the transformation again. This time, it wasn't as bad as the first and I managed to transform with only one shudder at the end. All in all, it wasn't too unpleasant, just…an odd sensation. He then took my hand and walked me to the edge of the farmer's crop. He waved his hand and a crack in the earth formed. He held me in a light hug and we literally floated into the hole. With another wave of his hand, the earth closed and my chest tightened.

"Diego-"

"You no longer need air to breath, Esmeralda." Though my logic may have prevailed in other times, my human side violently rebelled and I began to hyperventilate. "Esmeralda," Diego said sharply. "Listen to my heart. Allow yours to match my pace." Oddly enough, I felt the frantic beat of his heart and my heart match. Slowly his heart began to slow and I concentrated on lowering my own heartbeat. As our hearts returned to a normal beat, I realized that the whole time, I was breathing! As soon as my attention was brought back to the fact, my human side began to rebel once again, but this time, Diego was there to help me breathe.

"Thank you, Diego."

"Do not fight this battle any longer. Allow me to send you to sleep." He felt his assent in my mind and I heard his command to sleep. As I succumbed, my last thought was of my god, and what he wanted of the prince.


	6. Vincent, the lifemate

I woke up and felt Diego stir beside of me.

"Are you all right?" he asked. I looked around at the soil encompassing me and took a deep breath, telling myself not to panic this time.

"Getting there," I told him. Diego waved his hand, causing the rift to open in the earth once again. He jumped to the top and I gaped. The rift was ten feet deep!

"Are you coming, Esmerelda?" he teased. I smiled at him and leapt as high as I could. To my surprise, I easily made it out of the rift and even managed to land softly on the ground. "Now, this may be hard for you." I looked in his mind and saw what I must do.

"It does taste good, right?" Diego nodded. "Who do I take it from?" He pointed to the house before leaping towards our destination, holding me to his side. Once we landed from the jump, I saw that the family of five was already outside, waiting for us. However, their eyes were glazed over, their expressions compliant. Sensing my question, Diego answered.

"I put them under a complusion. It would do our race no good to be remembered taking blood from humans. You must always remember to wipe their memories, Esmerelda. That is vital to your survival." I nodded. "Would you like for me to put you under a compulsion?" I shook my head, already hearing the blood rushing through their veins in an intoxicating rythm. I stopped towards the male and he automatically bared his neck for me. I saw the pulsing vein in his neck and I slowly punctured it with my teeth. The first taste of blood on my lips was simply divine. I moaned in ecstasy, floored by the pure taste. I drank until Diego touched my shoulder, signaling the amount of blood was enough for one human.

"How do I stop the bleeding?" I asked.

"Lick the wound shut with your tongue." I spared Diego a curious look before doing as I was told. Of course, the blood was just as heavenly as the first time and I closed my eyes to savor the taste. Beside me, I heard the mother's breathe leave her in a rush, and I turned to see Diego feasting from her. The blood thrummed through my viens and I felt alive like I never had before, even as a human.

_"What are you doing?" _I heard my god ask. _"You are taking blood from him?"_ Just to spite him for being jealous, I increased what I was feeling, sending it over the link to my god. I felt him recoil, then strangely, I felt a fierce wave of desire wash over me, and I cried out, drawing the attention of Diego. _"If you play with fire, mor forwyn, prepare to be burned."_ At his last statement, the desire I was feeling was doused by a bucket of cold water, leaving me angry.

_"Fine. You wanna play that way?"_ I asked, royally pissed as any woman would be. I walked over to Diego, who was listenting to our exchange, and kissed him on the mouth, tasting the woman's blood on his lips. I licked it off gingerly, savoring each experience. Instead of my god getting even, I felt the horrible, angry bloodlust directed at me. I gasped under the onslaught, not expecting this type of reaction. As it continued, I fell to the floor and held my head, in pain. My soundless cry of pain caused Diego to cradle me to his chest and fully envelop his mind with my own, leaving us almost as one being. He blocked most of the anger, but the rest still made me feel nautious and sick.  
_  
"Stop it! I cried to my god. Please! It hurts!"_ I finally realized I was crying, but not because of the pain. I was crying because my god was mad at me! As soon as the anger began, it subsided. Diego, however, didn't relinquish my mind.

"Esmerelda, I am sorry. We must postpone our trip. Mikhail must be made aware of this new situation. A lifemate cannot hurt his lifemate unless he is a vampire."

"My god's a vampire?" I asked, automatically afraid for him. "But I'm here! He can't turn." Diego cupped my face in his hands.

"Sometimes the hunter cannot hold out for his lifemate. This has been known to happen before, Esmerelda. If he has turned, I'm truly sorry. Since he has not said the binding words, you can live through his passing."

"But I don't want him to die!" Diego kissed my forehead, but didn't answer me. I felt his sorrow over my predicament, but an unfalliable sense of duty. He was a hunter. He must extinguish the vampire.

"We must return to the Carpathian Mountains. Would you like to fly?" An unbidden thought came to mind and I quickly extinguished it, but Diego had already seen it. He laughed, making me smile. "I can do that for you."

"Really?" I asked, truly excited. He turned away from me and I saw him begin to change. This time as I watched, I wasn't nearly as grossed out, but fascinated. As Diego's skin began to change color I nearly started jumping in excitement. Finally, the change was complete and the massive dragon head swiveled to look at me. With a broad grin on my face, I mounted the dragon's neck from the knee offered. I got into the saddle Diego had made for me and held onto his smooth neck. With a huge flap, we left the ground and flew into the air. I, Esmerelda, was now officially flying a blue dragon. As soon as Diego leveled out, I let go of his neck and spread my arms wide, closing my eyes. The wind rushed past me, playing with my clothes and hair. It left me with a sense of peace and euphoria.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

I spotted Mikhail's house from the air, and Diego dove straight downward. I felt him begin to change, and I leapt off of his saddle, letting me freefall. I spread my body out, giving into the awesome sensation of freefall. Diego finished changing below me and let me fall into his arms. He then let us fall to the ground, but before we hit, he pulled out and let us land softly on the balcony. Mikhail and Raven were waiting for us, each smiling.

"Welcome back so soon, Diego." As always when with Mikhail, I felt the sense of pride when he spoke with his prince.

"Thank you, Mikhail. I have come with bad news."

"Come, let us sit inside," Mikhail stated, gesturing towards the house. Mikhail and Raven led the way and Diego and I followed them. Once again, I found myself in the living room, on a very comfortable couch. "Now, Diego. What seems to be the problem?"

"Her lifemate attacked her today." Mikhail and Raven both straightened slightly. "She was feeding when he became jealous."

"I kinda retaliated a bit," I confessed, cutting Diego off. "I increased what I was feeling, then licked the blood off of Diego."

"That's when he attacked her," Diego continued. "He directed his anger at her. There is no excuse for such behavior otherthan to assume that he is a vampire." The room was silent for a moment before Mikhail stood.

"He is close to our house. Jaques and Shea are moments away, and they will watch over Esmerelda. Is this sufficient?" Diego nodded once.

"We should meet him outside, my prince. It would be a regretable waste of your home." Mikhail smiled at Diego.

"I can simply get new artifacts," he replied.

"But the ming vase!" Diego said, clearly appalled. Everyone laughed at his tone and Mikhail nodded.

"We will conduct this outside and your ming vase will remain intact." Diego let out a sigh of relief, causing me to snicker all over again. "Esmerelda, will you join us outside?" I nodded, automatically going to Diego's side.

"Where he goes, I go." Diego ruffled my hair and smiled down at me, much like a big brother would.

"So if I go to the bedroom-" I hit him in the chest as hard as I could, effectively cutting him off.

"I changed my mind," I muttered. Raven laughed, but tried to cover it with a small cough.

"Raven, will you stand with Shea and Esmerelda?"

"Of course, my love." Mikhail spared her a quick glance, but the glance was filled with love. With that, all Carpathians, including myself, dissolved into mist. In my mind, I used every curseword I ever heard and began to curse out Diego, whose laughter I heard in my mind. Revenge would be sweet, and I could wait forever to get him. We flew outside, then transformed into owls, but this time, I was okay with the transformation, seeing how I had been an owl before. We flew down the mountain and landed in a clearing not too far from their house. Raven lightly grasped my wrist and led me to the edge of the clearing, leaving the men ample room to fight, if the need arose. I saw two more owls enter the clearing and I knew it was Shea and Jaques. Jaques landed near the men and Shea landed in front of me. She transformed and hugged me.

"We're here for you, Esmerelda." It was then that I felt an awareness of something coming closer. An instinct told me it was my god, coming for me.

"He's coming," I whispered. Though my voice was low, everyone heard it and acted accordingly. The three Carpathian males stood together in a picturesque scene, each ruggedly handsome, each powerful in their own right. The women shuffled me behind them in an instinctive mother gesture, both protecting the baby fledgling. As for me, thousands of thoughts flew through my mind.  
_  
Will he like me?  
What if I'm not good enough?  
What will he be like?  
Is he a vampire?  
Will he fight for me?  
_  
On and on my thoughts whirled until I saw the lone owl in the distance. I instantly shrank behind the tall Shea, and grasped her shirt with both of my hands. I was so aware of my god, I could almost see him without my eyes. My grip tightened, but both woman watched the Carpathian, intent on protecting me at all costs.

"Welcome home, Vincent," I heard Mikhail say. I felt the name reverberate through me. My god now had a name. "_Vincent_," I thought, testing the name. It seemed to suit him.

_"Mor-forwyn."_ My eyes widened. I had subconsciously talked to my god! I didn't even mean to! I burrowed more into Diego's mind, fearing my...Vincent. He wasn't my god anymore. He had attacked me.

"It has been a while, Mikhail." God, his voice washed over my body, bringing me pleasure. He still had the low sexual purr, which always was my weak point. "What a nice reception." Strangely, I didn't want him to be hurt, and I buried my head into Shea's back, trying to resist my wild feelings for the stranger.

"It has been said that you turned," Jaques stated, getting straight to the point. "Are you the _nosferatu_?"

"My lifemate can answer that," Vincent replied. I shook my head.

"The one you attacked?" Diego asked. I could sense Vincent looking at Diego, and I felt his dawning comprehension. The anger was instantaneous, and I couldn't let Diego get hurt. I bolted past Shea and Raven, and they let me. I ran in front of Diego and threw my arms out. I finally turned to look at Vincent, and he was definately a god. He had long, shaggy black hair, which framed a classic face. He had green eyes and was taller than I was. He held himself with the utmost pride and I could sense the power he exuded. After gathering my scattered wits, I glared at Vincent.

"You won't hurt Diego." I felt his persual of me and I felt his pleasure and acceptance. It took all that I had to stay mad instead of launching myself into his arms.

"You think that you can stop me?" Vincent asked, clearly amused. I had to admit, he had a knack of pissing me off. I straightened and smirked, pointing behind me with my thumb.

"I may not, but they sure as hell can." In one moment, Vincent was still, the next, he was beside me, his lips inches from my ear. In another move, I dissapeared into mist as Vincent reached for me. Vincent growled and I floated back over to Raven and Shea, where I materialized. Both women smiled at my flare of courage, but pulled me behind them regardless.

I watched the four Carpathian males closely, but instead of attacking, Vincent straightened and looked at me.

"I claim you as my lifemate." A gasp from the women told me that I was in deep shit. "I belong to you. I offer my life for you. I give you my protection, my allegiance, my heart, my soul, and my body." I felt strange, as if my heart was binding itself to Vincent's. "I take into my keeping the same that is yours. Your life, happiness, and welfare will be cherished and placed above my own for all of time." My soul seemed to be merging with Vincent and I felt a stab of real fear. What was going on? "You are my lifemate-" My eyes widened. "bound to me for all time and always in my care."

I was so scared. Why was I feeling this way? I began to shake. What if he was going to die? Then I would die as well. Why did those words make me feel wierd?

"Esmerelda," Mikhail said in a soothing voice. He turned to walk toward me, and I backed away from everyone.

"What's going on?" I asked, my voice shaking. "W...why am I feeling this way? What did you do?" I shook my head in denial, my emotions turbulent. In an effort to survive, my body took over my mind and I began to run away as fast as I could. Yet even as I ran, I felt as if I was leaving my whole heart back in the meadow with Vincent. As I stopped, my chest heaving, I realized that I had missed what I should have caught. I felt the pang of evil; it was radiating from all around me.  
_  
"Diego!" _I cried out in my mind. I had no more time to say more, because a vampire emerged from the forest. He was beautiful in theory, but I knew behind this facade was a rotted face.

"Well, an unclaimed Carpathian woman."

"How do you know I'm unclaimed?" I asked, stalling for time.

"Because a male wouldn't let his woman out of sight." So I had just screwed myself over. Royally. Even with the new threat, my human mind was rebelling at the new feelings and sensations, but my Carpathian mind was ready to protect myself if necessary. "What is your name?"

"Esmerelda," I answered. "What is your name?"

"I am Enrique," the vampire said with a bow. "I am here to claim you for my lifemate." At his words, I felt the anger of Vincent radiating around me. I cringed and looked around to run, but the vampire leapt at me. I instinctively jumped and landed on a nearby branch. As I watched, Enrique leapt at me, but was tackled out of the air by none other than Diego.

"Diego!" I cried, happy. However, the vampire raked his chest and I felt his pain through our mental link. My hand went to my mouth and I gasped. Diego jumped back and I realized that because I had run, I had hurt the closest person to me. I closed my eyes and felt the guilt, but I reopened them, determined. I could mope later. I delved into Diego's mind and found all of his fighting knowledge. The vampire smirked at the bleeding Carpathian and prepared to strike. I gathered the energy around me like Diego's mind said to do. Through the haze of electricity building around me, I saw the three other Carpathian men arrive. Good. I had an audience.

"Hey vampie!" I said. Enrique turned to me, and I focused the electric energy into a ball between both of my hands. "Catch." I launched the attack and jumped at the vampire. The ball of electricity hit him in his chest, causing him to stagger. I took the opportunity and thrust my hand into his chest, grabbing the beating heart. I yanked and threw the heart to the ground. However, I had not counted on the vampire's blood to be acidic. It burned my hands but I ignored the pain. I called on lightning, like I had seen Diego do, and I hit the heart, along with four other lightning bolts. When Enrique looked at me in surprise, I flicked him off and flipped away from him, letting his ashes scatter into the wind. With a triumphant smirk, I looked at Diego, who was smiling slightly.

"You might have made a good hunter," he stated, before walking over to me. However, Vincent was having none of this and cut Diego off. I immediately backed away, but he was in no mood to be accomodating. He grabbed my wrist, which caused me to hiss in pain. The acid was eating into the skin there, and he had no right to grab the tender flesh. I sliced at him but he caught my other hand in midair.

"You're hurting me!" I hissed through my bared teeth. Immediately, the three other males crowded Vincent, and he let me go. Diego stepped forward and I gave him my hand, trusting him impecably. Diego called up water and washed the blood from my right arm. I felt him then entering my body, a curious sensation that felt like heat spreading through my arm. After my arm was healed, he retreated into his own body and I gasped as I spotted his wound.

"I'm fine, Esmerelda," he stated, but I still felt the guilt.

"Let me help! It's my fault, anyways." The males looked taken aback. "If I hadn't ran, you wouldn't have been hurt," I said, looking away from everyone. Diego put his hand on my cheek, causing Vincent to leap at him. Jaques blocked his path and Vincent subsided, though I could feel his anger at the situation. I watched with trepidation and Vincent locked eyes with me. His anger made me afraid of him, however much I wanted him. As if sensing my fear, he backed off and Diego redirected my attention.

"It was your lifemate's fault," he explained. "He bound you to him."

"Bound me?"

"Every male is born with the knowledge of the binding words. When they meet their lifemates, they quote the words, then bind the woman to them for all time. I am sorry that I didn't explain adequately. I should have prepared you for the possibility."

"No, Diego-" He placed his finger over my mouth and I slightly glared at him, causing him to smile.

"You also used the knowledge in my mind to defeat a vampire. You are two days old but managed to destroy him using your own power. That is a great accomplishment." As he said it, I became aware of an ache in my stomach. Diego sensed it as well. "Would you like to go and feed?" I nodded, already looking forward to a flight on the back of a dragon again.

"She has no need to feed." Everyone turned to look at Vincent. "You all are aware she is my lifemate. Let me supply her with blood." I looked toward Diego for confermation. He nodded once and I slowly walked past Jacques towards Vincent, stopping a foot away from him.

"Where...do I drink from you?"

"Where did you take blood before?"

"The neck," I whispered. I felt afraid, yet I felt an anticipation.

"Then come and drink." I felt embarrased to be doing this in front of everyone, but I was going to force myself to when Vincent got rid of the problem. "May we have privacy? She is embarassed." How did he know? I was in Diego's mind, not his own. The three males dissapeared, but I could feel that they didn't go far.

"Thank you," I murmured.

"Why do you fear me, mor forwyn?" I looked away from the beautiful man before me. He stepped toward me and I flinched. He hesitated, then took the last step, closing the distance between us. He placed a hand on my cheek and I tensed, not knowing what to expect, and he sighed. "I know that I am angry. I am not angry at you." I nodded my head, contradicting him.

"You were. You made me sick and hurt me," I said, referring to the incident today. He drew me into a hug, and I felt him savoring the contact. He deliberately placed his mouth against the hollow of my throat and I tried to pull away, but he held me in place as he only nuzzled my neck.

"I am sorry, mor-forwyn. Please, allow me to supply you with blood. You are hungry." I felt him cage the anger inside of him and I began to relax; he lifted his head and bared his neck for me. He continued to hold me in his arms and I slowly lifted my hand to gently brush his hair away from his neck. In reaction, he shivered and drew a quick breath. I ignored him, or attempted to, and rose on my tiptoes. I bit him and I heard him gasp in pleasure, causing his grip to tighten around me. I felt something hard against my legs and stomach, but strangely, his arousal made me feel more in control. I felt his pleasure through our link and I closed my eyes, simply savoring the feeling. His hand cradled the back of my head against his throat and his breathing became labored. Thinking I had taken too much, I began to pull back, but he kept me in place. I kept drinking, trying to replentish my strength, as I thought he was telling me to do. A few moments later, I pulled back and licked the wound on his neck shut.

"Thank you," I said politely, lowering myself onto the balls of my feet.

"Oh, Esmerelda, it was my pleasure," he purred. I shivered, knowing he was absolutely right.


	7. Vampires and friends

"Esmeralda!" Diego called, alerting Vincent and I of their return. Diego's voice acted like cold water and I stepped away from Vincent and the wicked sensual spell he wove. Strangely, I didn't feel remorse, but my mind knew that I had to tread carefully from now on. Yet, I still felt the strange giddy high, almost as if this was the first boy I had ever crushed on.

"What?" I called back, trying to fight my embarassment. I felt the male satisfaction emanating from Vincent and tried to ignore that as well.

"You have an incoming visitor!" A joyful grin burst onto my face and I used my newfound strength to jump onto the tree branch and look around for Diego. I spotted him with the other Carpathians and I went to jump again when I felt an arm snake around my waist.

"We go together, mor-forwyn." I quirked an eyebrow at him, the words rubbing me the wrong way; he didn't have to be an ass about it. All he had to do was ask. He felt my slight annoyance and simply stared at me, showing me he was displeased with my action. I snarled at him, even going as far to bare my teeth. He may be gorgeous but seriously, he needed help with women. Just to screw with him, I connected with Diego's mind and he pulled up the image of mist before I even asked him. I transformed and flew over to Diego, who was inwardly laughing.

"I think we have to have a discussion, Vincent," Raven stated, holding her laughter in check. Vincent turned his stony gaze on Raven and she hid her chuckle behind her elegant hand.

"You men are so archaic," Shea agreed. Jaques turned to her and threw her a boyish grin, and by the answering smile on her face, it had to be a particular weakness of hers.

"Is that so?" Jaques asked her.

"You don't count," She retorted. "I've had time to train you." Vincent jumped down next to me, crowding my body with his. I tried to step away, but his hand craught my wrist in a soft but vicelike grip, hindering my escape.

"Train me?" Jaques continued, trying to calm the rising tension between Vincent and I. "I believe it was the other way around," he purred. I smiled at the look of adoration on Shea's face as Jaques lightly kissed her nose.

"Esmeralda, your visitor?" Mikhail interrupted.

"Oh, right," I said sheepishly. I tried to subtly reclaim my arm, but Vincent held tight.

"If he is male, he leaves now." I growled in the back of my throat and started listing reasons to not kill my lifemate.

"Even if he was male, you wouldn't have a damn thing to do about it. I will not dump friends just because of your petty jealousy."

"I will be the only male you ever need. You don't need another other friends."

"Oh how the mighty shall fall," Diego said, redirecting my anger. I grinned at him and Vincent yanked me back hard enough to throw me off balance. I collapsed onto his chest as I felt the pain shoot up my arm. Diego took a threatening step forward but Mikhail held up his arm, stopping him in his tracks.

"Vincent, please let go of your lifemate. You're hurting her." Mikahil used his most pure voice, laced with a hint of compulsion. Vincent shook his head to clear out the order, but he released me regardless. "I understand how you feel. These emotions are powerful and hard to control, but you must leash them. You hurt your lifemate, Vincent." Vincent's gaze turned to me.

"I apologize, mor-forwyn." I didn't move back over to him, though I secretly wanted to. "Mikhail is right. This is my flaw, not yours." I eyed him warily, trying to sense if he meant his apology. "Yes, I do." Christ. I felt Vincent's subtle hold on my mind once again, though it didn't surprise me. He had been slipping in and out for years. I couldn't keep him out on my own, even if I wanted to.

"Stop that," I said out loud. "And I'll go and meet my friend, whoever it is, and I don't want you to do anything, and I mean anything, to them. Do you promise?" Vincent slightly inclined his head.

"As you wish." I spared him one last look before turning back to Diego. Once again, I felt the change coming on and I became Hedwig once again. Of course, I hadn't gotten the talent of walking with talons yet, and I fell to the side. I flapped my wings furiously, trying to right myself and minimize my embarassment.

"She looks like you, Mikhail," Raven said, placing her hand on her lifemate's shoulder. "But I believe you were more...persistent in falling." I felt the laughter inside of me and I hooted...literally...in response. Raven being the kind yet vindictive woman she was, let replayed the memory in my head. She had been correct. Mikhail as a fledgeling had horrible problems with the owl. The stumbling over the poor and seemingly drunken bird was enough to relax me and let me concentrate on the art of walking.

Vincent, however, walked over to me and picked me up. I hopped onto his left arm, trying not to poke him with my talons. Without any warning, he launched me into the air. I paused for a moment and realized gravity was taking immediate effect, causing me to rapidly flap my wings to fight the law of physics. I felt the flare of power below me and felt Vincent take flight beneath me, ready to catch me if I fell. He kept his body close enough to me so that he could catch me if I fell, but far enough to where he wasn't messing with my flying style.

I flew the small way back to Mikhail's house, but once I reached the house, instead of diving, I rose into the air, smiling inwardly. Vincent stopped below me and I felt his confusion. Mikhail, Raven, Shea, and Jaques transformed on the porch and watched the spectacle. As I reached the peak of my upward spiral, I let myself fall backwards. Diego, who knew how much I had enjoyed it before, let me transform back into a human. I closed my eyes and threw out my hands, freefalling towards the ground. I could taste Vincent's alarm and it shattered my euphoric world. He came and caught me in the air, directing me to the balcony, where he lightly touched down. I frowned at him as I felt him searching through my memories uninvited and strangely, he withdrew.

"Why would you do such a thing, Esmeralda?" he asked, leashing his volatile emotions.

"Because it's fun," I answered with a shrug. "Diego would have caught me." Before he could block me, I felt Vincent's rage, the beast within him, rear its head. I stumbled back from Vincent, holding my hands up in a defensive gesture. The pure anger frightened me as nothing else would; whatever resided in Vincent was a dangerous being indeed.

"Esmeralda," he began, stepping forward and holding out his hand. I stepped back into Raven's arms.

"I'm sorry!" I apologized automatically. "It won't happen again, I promise." Vincent stopped and dropped his hand, breathing in once and releasing it.

"Esmeralda, come here. I'm not angry with you."

"Why don't we go inside?" Jacques asked Shea. "It's obvious her lifemate needs to explain." Shea, though her protective instincts were in full swing, let herself be guided away from the five of us.

"Diego, we will go as well." Diego looked mutinous and was about to disagree until Mikhail shot him a look. Accepting the prince's edict, Diego left with Mikhail, leaving Raven, Vincent, and I alone. Raven's thumbs stroked my arms and with her touch came relaxation. I began to release my tense muscles and lower the arms in front of my face.

"It's all right, Esmeralda. Let him explain to you. I will entertain your guest and will expect to see you down shortly." I nodded, warily watching Vincent. As Raven exited the balcony, the tension levels between Vincent and I rose.

"Mor-forwyn, please, allow me to explain."

"No, I don't want to know about the demon inside of you. I don't care...just...try to keep in control of it."

"When I am with you, I am in control."

"Bullshit!" I cried out. "You've unleashed that...thing twice on me now! You've also hurt me twice, and according to Diego, a lifemate isn't supposed to hurt his lifemate!"

"I am your lifemate," Vincent declared forcefully. Instead of making me angry, it helped me relax somewhat. Call me crazy but I reacted with this unsufferable male on some damned elemental level. Even though he was bat shit insane, jealous, and easily angered, I still wanted to be with him. "You will cease this doubt in your mind at once. As for what you sense inside of me, you will cure it."

"How?"

"You are the light to my soul, Esmeralda. You are my lifemate. When we join, you will leash the beast within me."

"Join? I don't understand. Haven't we joined already?" With my naive question, Vincent's eyes darkened and a seductive grin slid onto his face. My reaction was instantaneous. My hands balled into fists and butterflies began to pool inside of my stomach. My knees weakened causing me to twitch slightly.

"No, Esmeralda. We haven't." I waited for him to explain, but he merely closed the distance between us and placed his hands gently on my hands. His touch was as light as a feather, causing goosebumbs to trail after his wandering hands, which were slowly sliding up my arm. He leaned close to me, his lips inches from mine. I backed up, but found myself in the corner of the balcony and the wall behind it. "My mor-forwyn...my temptress..." He leaned closer until his lips were brushing my own. "The last bond a lifemate must make is...sexual." He whispered the last word and it made me shiver. Vincent's body pressed up against mine and I knew that if he wanted to have sex with me, I wouldn't say no. I couldn't say no. The concept should have floored me, but I was way too turned on to care, and he hadn't begun to touch me yet.

"We...have to have sex?" I asked, trying to steady my voice. Nope. My voice came out low and breathless, husky and full of invitation. I cursed myself mentally for not being stronger than this, but Vincent held the power between us.

"Yes Esmeralda." His hands reached my shoulders and began their path down the sides of my body. "Can't you feel this between us? This is proof we are lifemates. You have never wanted another man before me and you couldn't stand the thought of sex with another male." My eyes widened. How the hell did he know that? "What we have between us is real, a bond between lifemates."

"But what if...it comes out again? The demon?" Vincent backed away but kept a firm hold on my waist.

"When we join, Esmeralda, when you come completely into my mind, you will understand. All Carpathian males are born with this inside of them. Even Mikhail, Jaques, and Diego have the same problem. However, Diego has yet to aquire a lifemate and Mikhail and Jaques have experience in controling themseleves. I have not, and cannot adequately restrain myself. I will endeavor to strengthen my hold over this." Vincent kissed my nose briefly before pulling away. He began to lead me off the balcony, but held the side of my body against his. "For now, holding you will be enough." The woman in me softened and I hesitantly smiled, signaling a tenatative truce. We made our way to the balcony on the second floor and I looked down only to see the happiest thing of my life.

"Amber! Victoria! Catie!" I literally jumped from the balcony and landed lightly on my feet, surprising Victoria and Catie at the distance I leapt. Amber took a leap and hugged me fiercly.

"You made it! You're a Carpathian now! Oh my god!" Like the teenage girls we were, we began to squeal and jump around to the amusement of the Carpathians around us. Turning from Amber, I went to Victoria next and hugged her. She hugged me as Amber had.

"I missed you, Esmeralda." She pulled away from me and gave me a once over. "You look good." She looked past me and I followed her gaze, only to see her staring at Vincent. "Well damn, girl." The women laughed at her blunt statement and Vincent smiled his full wattage smile at her. The following pang of jealousy made me stop short and I stopped laughing and stared at my best friend of years. "What?"

"I'm...jealous of you."

"But why?"

"He smiled at you." Victoria deadpanned and smacked the back of my head.

"You idiot." I sighed.

"Thank you boss," I quoted, making my three friends smile. Finally, I turned to Catie, who walked out from behind Victoria to hug me. I felt Diego stir and then withdraw from my mind, and I whirled to face him.

"Diego?" He didn't answer and every Carpathian in the room felt the shift in emotions. He was staring at Catie, who was watching him. "Catie?"

"You..." Diego trailed off. "It was you. My god, it was you all along." Diego stepped forward and Catie watched, as if in a trance. I swapped my gaze between the two of them, not understanding. I felt Vincent in my mind now, taking over the space Diego had left. I felt kind of bereft without my friend and feeling his emotions and I winced. Vincent probably heard that.

'It is all right, mor-forwyn. I will not judge him, even if he was intruding on my lifemate. He is a friend to you, and I promised to behave.'

'Thank you...Vincent. But what is up with these two?' Vincent walked to me and held me in a light hug from behind.

'Don't you see, Esmeralda? He has found her...'

"My lifemate..." my eyes widened at Diego's statement. Catie's eyes widened as she was broken from the trancelike state.

"Lifemate?" She looked at me, eyes gaze questioning. I broke out into a grin.

"Yeah, Catie. You are his other half."

"Other half?" she echoed.

"You are the woman who will complete my soul." I knew she was totally swooining inside. If my lifemate had done this, I would have as well.

"Like Esmeralda?" Diego finally looked at me and he smiled broadly. He grabbed my shoulders and lifted me out of Vincent's arms, lifting me and twirling me in a circle.

"Thank you, Esmeralda. You truly have restored my soul."

"No," I replied, a smile on my face. "Thank Catie. Why don't you go give her the Carpathian talk?"

"Would you come with me, Catie?" She looked at me and I nodded once for confirmation. Diego held out his hand and she slowly took it, letting him lead her to the living room I had my discussion in only nights before.

"Another female is joining us, my love," Raven softly said to Mikhail. "Another hunter saved." Mikhail looked down at his lifemate and smiled tenderly.

"So there is, Raven. So there is."


	8. Faded Memories

The next morning I found myself across of Catie, the newest Carpathian female. She was sitting beside of Diego in a content position that I envied; they fit so well together. Not like Vincent and myself, who were constantly at odds. Victoria sat in the chair beside of Catie, and she was drinking a Dr. Pepper that Mikhail had somehow aquired.

However, my preoccupation held with Catie. She held a glass of a ruby substance in her hand and from here, I could smell the rich scent of blood. My own mouth watered at the pure scent and I could feel my own inscisors elongate. Even though I had fed yesterday, the blood was enough to kick my Carpathian instincts into full gear.

"Here you are, mor-forwyn." I looked up from my preoccupation with Catie's glass to see one held in front of me. The scent of blood nearly beneath my nose caused my inscisors to explode in my mouth and I grabbed the glass to drink. At Vincent's slight chuckle, I realized that I had almost caused a spectacle of myself and drank the glass slowly, savoring each drop of blood as it touched my tongue. The human within my mind still rebelled at the prospect, but it was drowned out by my Carpathian side, which loved the taste of blood.

"Thank you, Vincent," I stated, taking the glass away from my lips. I licked a drop of blood from my upper lip, and felt a keen satisfaction at Vincent's sudden interest with my mouth. Caught up in the moment, I flicked my tongue at the same spot again, with a finesse only a woman could do. "It was kind of you," I whispered huskily, letting a slight invitation fill the air between us.

"Behave, Esmeralda." I looked past Vincent to see a disgusted Victoria, and I laughed.

"Ruin my fun, why don't you."

"Even though I'm human, I can sense the pheramones!"

"You can't sense pheramones," Amber scoffed as she entered the room. She was levitating a drink in her hand, but she didn't seem to be concentrating on her display of magic.

"God, you know what I mean!" Victoria defended, clearly outnumberd. "They're like two damn cats in heat." I arched my brow at the crude analogy and tried to swallow my amusement. However, Diego's petrified glance was all my mirth needed, and my laugh escaped. "Or rabbits, whatever you prefer."

"Then look to them, first," I stated, pointing at Catie and Diego. "They started it. All night I could hear, 'oh Diego!' 'Oh Catie!'. Blech." I pretended to gag and saw the answering blush on Catie's cheek. Bullseye.

"It wasn't my fault you wanted that other guy. What was is name?"

"Mehmet Borat Yaldiz. Why?" Amber dissolved into laughter and I looked at everyone around me. "What? I don't get it." Even the name brought back horrible memories, so why were they laughing?

"You still remember his name," Victoria stated, a smirk on her face. I mentally cursed, caught in a trap of my own doing. "How long were you two together. And...if I remember correctly..." I sat stonily, not answering the question, and looked away. However, my gaze fell to Vincent, who was avidly listening to the conversation. That's when I remembered what was coming.

"Victoria. Shut up!" Her eyes widened at my tone, but when she truly looked at me, she saw the fear in my gaze.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing," I said shortly, ignoring the curious and slightly jealous Carpathian at my side. If the story continued it'd be worse. A whole lot worse. And it'd end with my corpse on the ground, along with Mehmet at my side. "Just...drop it." At least Mehmet would be dead, but I'd rather live.

"Yeah, okay." I felt Vincent begin to probe my memories, and I whirled away, grabbing my head.

"Stay out of my head!" I yelled, piqued that he would do that against my will. Lifemate or not, that's a fucking intrusion I didn't want or need. Instead of obeying, I felt him probe harder, scanning through more memories...until he came to the dreaded one.

"Oh no," I moaned, as I felt the demon explode within him.

I felt a hand yank me back and I fell onto the couch, looking at the back of none other than Diego. Even Catie threw an arm around me, hissing at my lifemate. Mikhail was also on his feet in an instant, holding a ball of lightning mere inchest away from Vincent's neck. Victoria darted behind the couch, away from the battling Carpathians and out of the line of fire.

However, that wasn't the problem. Vincent's eyes were trained on me, hate radiating from him in waves. Even though I had only known him a short time in person, it hurt. I could feel tears running down my cheeks and I looked away in shame. He had seen a brief flash. A brief one. He didn't see the rest of it. He judged me on what he saw, not what he bothered to find out.

"What is going on?" I looked up to see Shea standing in the doorway, alone. I opened my mouth to call out the danger, but she beat me to it. "Jaques! Don't hurt him!" I looked behind me only to see Jaques now inches from Vincent's face, his talons bared.

"I...lied...to them," I whispered softly, way under human range of hearing. All of the Carpathians looked at me, and I felt even smaller than I had felt before.

"What is it?" Shea asked, coming over to kneel behind the couch. She clasped my face as I cried, and my eyes pleaded for understanding.

"Mehmet. It was him. He...was the one." This time, Victoria heard me, and she leapt to her feet, furious.

"He was the bastard?" she yelled. "He was the bastard that raped you, and you didn't tell anyone!" Now, shock was flowing off of everyone in waves, and I closed my eyes in shame. All I could feel was Vincent's anger and my shame, but I could hear what had happened. I could almost feel him inside of me once again, forcing me, and I pushed Shea away before I retched over the back of the couch.

Catie's protecting arm curled around me, and she drew me into a hug. Shea, who landed on her butt, waved her hand and the mess was gone, leaving me alone with my...blood? Little droplets of blood were staining the couch, and I touched the bottom of my eye. My fingers came away coated in blood, and I shuddered in reaction.

"I didn't tell you...because...he said if I did...he would rape you too. He could get away with it. He had money. He had power." I was silent for a moment, lost in my memories.

"Look at me." Shea's voice mixed with Mehmet's, and I looked up into his eyes. "Esmeralda, look at me."

"Stop..." I whispered. "Please...don't do this..."

"Listen to me! Look at me." His touch revolted me, his arms were around me, pinning me in place. I bolted away from him as he stared down at me, completely nude and aroused. "_I've wanted you for so long, and you'd dare deny me?"_

"Don't do this!" Hands touched my shoulders and I whirled away, only to see him behind me, smirking. "Get away!" I cried, kicking at him and looking up at him with wide eyes. "Leave me alone! I won't tell anyone, I won't!"

"_Esmeralda, you don't think that will work, do you?_" His hands pinned me to the ground, and I thrashed in response.

"Stop!" I screamed, holding my eyes shut and grabbing my head as I curled into the fetal position. "Please...stop..."

"Come back, Esmeralda." That voice! It was Shea's! I opened my eyes to see her above me, her lifemate holding me down.

"Shea?" I asked. My god! What did I just do? I began to squirm and Jaques let me go. I bolted out of the room as quickly as possible, making my way up the steps two at a time. However, I was caught from behind, and I stiffened.

"It's just me," Mikhail said, tenderly holding my arms.

"I'm sorry, Mikhail! I didn't mean to-"

"Everyone has had a moment like the one you had," he said, stopping me before I could apologize. "My brother, Jaques, attacked Shea in a fit of madness, and hurt her." My eyes widened.

"But Jaques loves her!"

"He does. He was kept in a torture prision for many years until she came and rescued him. If you can please bear with us, and perhaps talk to my brother. You would feel much better, I assure you."

"But I just embarrassed myself," I muttered, looking away. "I tried to keep it buried deep, where I could never find it again. I made my myself forget it, and never look back. I'm sorry...that I flipped like I did."

"I'm quite sure the reason was your lifemate becoming an asshole." The use of the word stunned me, and I began laughing.

"Mikhail!" I said, scandalized. I could feel him envelop my mind, soothing myself, making me calm down from the experience I had lived through.

He shrugged his delicate shoulders.

"It's true. Will you come back downstairs? I promise we will put this to rest, for both you and your lifemate."

"You mean my asshole lifemate?"

"Him as well," Mikhail added, a slight smile to my face. "Now come. Shea can help you, and perhaps erase the event from your memory." My eyes widened in wonder.

"Can she do that?"

"Of course. Shea is all powerful, you see. Or, so my brother wishes to believe. I personally believe Raven is all powerful." He began to lead me back downstairs. "However, I think she would agree as well, so that is two against one."

"I'm not taking sides," I said, before he asked. He laughed softly, finally entering the room I had bolted out of. Everyone's faces was worried, with different degrees of shock. I took a deep breath, and felt Mikhail in my mind, bolstering my courage.

"Esmeralda," Shea began, but I stopped her.

"Shea, I apologize for the way I treated you." She shook her head.

"There's no need, of course. Come. I'll get rid of the memories for you." Mikhail lead me to Shea, who placed both of her hands on my head. I felt her probing my mind, finding the greusome memory, until...I couldn't remember what she was erasing. It was traumatic...but...what was it?

"Sit, please, Esmeralda. I'll brink you a drink." My inscisors lengthened at the word and I smiled in thanks. Eyeing my lifemate out of the corner of my eye, I saw him watching me stiffly. He had been very angry at whatever the memory was, but...if I sat someplace else, it might make it worse.

I dutifully sat beside of him, the farthest I could get away from him, and began to drink the blood given to me. As always, it tasted delicious, and the drink combined with Mikhail in my mind finally calmed the last of my nervousness.

"So..." I began bravely breaking the silence. "Want to help me shapeshift?" Jaques, who was standing beside Shea, grinned at Mikhail.

"I do know someone who could help you, though I don't know if you could learn much through your laughter." I burst out laughing, remembering the drunken owl, aka Mikhail, attempt to stand.

"Please, Jaques. I could make an adequate teacher," Mikhail replied, a soft smile on his face. He could deal with teasing quite well, from what I could see.

"I could teach her mist next," Diego volunteered. "That way, I could teach both fledgelings at once."

"Let's all teach them," Raven added. "Although it is nearly daytime, and we need to go to ground once more." I yawned at her statement. I still felt a little off from sleeping during the day, but I figured it would get better in time.

Wait a minute. Diego had his own lifemate, so he wouldn't sleep with me in that huge rift in the ground. I could disturb the other couples, which meant...damn. I was stuck, and it was official. He was going to murder me in my sleep because of whatever that memory was.

I stood, sheepishly scratching the back of my head.

"Hey, uh...where do I sleep?"

"You can come with us," Catie volunteered.

"Neh, really?" I asked, surprised. I'd figured they'd...you know...again.

"I'm not a rabbit," she scoffed. "And I do have some self control."

"Don't say that!" I warned. "Carpathian men take that as a challenge!" Catie looked toward Diego, heat in her eyes, and I gagged, secretly pleased at how she and her lifemate had turned out.

"Ugh, I'm leaving," I said, leaving chuckling Carpathians behind me. I walked downstairs, and stopped right beside of the soil "Man, what did Raven say..." I muttered. "How the hell did she open the rift?" I didn't feel my lifemate within my own mind, which meant he was still mad, and I didn't want to break that silence between the both of us.

I flicked my wrist as I had seen Raven do, and...nothing happened.

"That'd just be too easy," I muttered, staring at my new foe. Oh! Maybe..." I punched the ground as hard as I could, causing a slight rift to form. But it wasn't deep enough to even hold my butt, and I growled in frustration.

"Dammit it all! Open!" I was so sure the soil was laughing at my pathetic attempts, and I glared at him. "I'm not staying out here until sunrise. You can either cooperate, or I'll punch a rift for myself. What'll it be?"

Surprisingly, a huge rift formed in the soil, and I took a step back, shocked.

"You...I...but...what?"

"Get in." I cringed as I heard my lifemate's voice, and he didn't sound too happy.

"Can't...you make another? For me?" I asked, not turning around.

"No, we'll sleep together." Crap. I stepped to the rift and stepped, lightly landing on the soil below me. It was about six feet across, and I buried myself as close to the soil wall as I could. I heard my lifemate land beside of me, but strangely, he didn't touch or speak to me. He just left me alone.

The rift closed above us and I felt a spurt of panic. I was alone with Vincent. Alone with my lifemate that had made me sick, and even hurt me. My lifemate that was pissed at me. My heart began to accelerate, real fear worming its way into my system.

What if he beat me? A lot of men kept their women in line by doing it, so it wasn't that uncommon, but would he hit me? Hell, would I survive a hit from him? What if he tried to force himself on me? True, you can't rape the willing, but in my mind, I'd rebel. I never wanted to have sex in anger. Never.

The darkness around me began to close in on me, and I felt as if I was suffocating. I was trapped. Trapped in a cage of my own doing. I stood and began to claw the dirt above me, wanting to get out. I didn't want to be here.

"What are you doing?" Vincent asked, his lips brushing my ear. I renewed my efforts, the fear nearly choking me, but Vincent was having none of that. He grabbed me and pulled me down next to him. I thrashed about, but he threw a leg over both of mine and pinned both of my arms to my chest.

"Calm down, Esmeralda. You can breathe. You're not a human anymore, you're a Carpathian."

"Stop, please, I'm sorry for whatever I did! Please don't hurt me! I'm sorry, I won't say it again! I'll be what you want, I promise, just please don't hurt me!" I cried, shivering. I could feel his anger, barely tethered and leashed, and so close to exploding around me.

"It's not you!" The anger exploded, and I could feel his fangs on the back of my neck. I cried out, sliding into the fetal position, and braced myself, waiting for him to get it over with. However, he pulled his anger back and began to stroke my cheek and neck. At the first contact, I flinched, but he continued his minstrations.

"I'm not angry at you, mor-forwyn." he whispered, placing a chaste kiss to the nape of my neck.

"You're...not?" I asked, confused. "But I remember the way you looked at me. You were angry at me."

"That was before I found out the truth of the matter," he replied. He merged his mind with my own, and I felt his anger...directed elsewhere. Now, I didn't feel as if I was trapped. I felt as if he was simply watching over me...nearly...cuddling with me.

"The truth?"

"Yes. It wasn't you to blame. I know who the real culprit is, and it is him that I'm angry at. Please, mor-forwyn. We need to sleep. You have only completed your conversion this week, and you need the healing soil."

"Diego always put me to sleep," I whispered, afraid he would be angry. Strangely, I only felt a twinge of jealousy.

"I owe him a debt that I could never repay," he said softly.

"Really? I thought you two hated each other. And what did he do to help you?" He chuckled behind me.

"Oh, I thought you realized. He gave me you." I let the words sink in, and Vincent waved his hand above me. "Sleep Esmeralda."

"Night Vincent," I whispered as my lungs and heart stopped, putting me into the deep sleep of the Carpathians.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

I woke the next morning to find the rift open, and no Vincent. The first thing I felt was sadness, followed quickly by loneliness. I shook off both feelings. Having a lifemate just wreaked havoc for your emotions.

I jumped out of the rift and realized I was super dirty. I always had Diego around to clean me up with a flick of his hand, and judging by the fact I couldn't even open the ground, I wasn't going to attempt to clothe myself. God only knows what would happen.

So, I walked upstairs, trying to actually sense my lifemate. However, I couldn't even do that. My mind felt empty and bereft, and I couldn't even sense a tiny bit of him. I guess he really was mad at me after all.

"Esmeralda! What are you doing walking around like that?" Catie asked from beside me, knowing exactly why I was doing it.

"You have a lifemate to clean you up. Mine's gone." Her hand flew to her heart.

"He left you? Just like that?" I shrugged.

"I can't sense him inside of my mind. I just feel...empty. I think he's still mad at me."

She sighed, but waved me over.

"Come on, Diego will help you get cleaned up." I followed her over to her lifemate. He turned and scrunched up his nose.

"I get it, I'm dirty. Could you just clean me up?" Diego grinned and just waved his hands, clean clothes appearing on me. All the dirt and grime I'd accumulated while sleeping was also dissapeared, and I smiled at him. "Thanks."

"Where's your lifemate?" I rolled my eyes in annoyance, but Catie answered for me.

"He left sometime before she woke. She doesn't know where he went or what he's doing."

"And he left his unclaimed lifemate here. Disgraceful." He winked at me and motioned for us to follow. "Mikhail wants to use your talents as well," he began, walking towards Mikhail's living room. "There is a Carpathian hunter here who is close to turning. He's come home to meet the dawn, and wanted a last word with his prince."

"What am I supposed to do?" I asked.

"Share his mind. Remind him what he will miss if he loses his lifemate." I nodded. It was something I could do, at least, for the kindness Mikhail and Raven had shown me. We walked inside, and yet again, a gorgeous man sat on the couch. Whatever these Carpthian men exactly came from, they must have been gods or such, because this degree of sexiness was just out of this world.

"That was so incredibly corny," Diego stated, causing me to laugh.

"It's true," I said with a smile. "All right, you. Out of my mind. Go harrass your lifemate." I walked over to the new Carpathian male, and held out my hand. "Hey. My name's Esmeralda. It's nice to meet you."

"My name is Lyon."

"Oh! You're American. Sounds like Louisiana." He looked surprised, and for the first time, actually saw me for the first time.

"Yes, I'm from Louisiana," he stated, impressed.

"Ha, I was so right." I smiled at him and looked back at Mikhail, who nodded at Lyon.

"Go ahead and share her mind."

"Yeah, please do," I said, sitting down beside of him. "It's not worth losing another Carpathian male when his lifemate could be out in the world right now."

"I've searched everywhere," he said softly.

"And I did not?" Mikhail asked him, smiling. "I was prepared to meet the dawn myself when I met Raven in my time of need." Raved looked up to him, love apparent in her eyes, and Mikhail placed a chaste kiss on her lips.

"See? You could meet your lifemate tomorrow and you won't even know it. Now come. Enter my mind, Lyon. I promise you won't be dissapointed." He was taken aback at the underlying joke, but Diego threw his head back and laughed, while Catie slapped him on the chest.

"Dammit Diego, you're a bad influence." He kissed her on her forehead, turning her frown into a smile.

While the banter was going on, I felt Lyon at the edge of my mind, as if he was afraid to fully merge. I placed my hand on his and smiled at him. In reaction he began to push in, leaving warmth in his wake much like Diego had, until we were almost one being.

Lyon's breath came out in a rush and I felt the strong feelings he had been denied for so long. It was so joyous and so extreme almost to the point of pain, but I also felt his joy. He could feel and experience emotions himself for once, instead of just watching from the outside.

"God," he breathed. "I can feel! Are you...?"

"No," I said with a smile. "I'm not your lifemate. I just have this ability to let you experience emotions. That's all." He drew me into a hug.

"You have no idea of the gift you've given me."

"Huh, Diego, sound familiar?" I asked with a laugh, hugging the grateful Carpathian back.

"I may have said that," he replied nonchalantly. Lyon laughed, feeling the mirth inside of himself, and I smiled at his boyish smile when he pulled away.

"You are good for our race," he stated. "I will no longer meet the dawn, Mikhail." Every Carpathian in the room smiled, glad to have another hunter saved.

"S'going on?" We all turned to see a sleepy Victoria in the doorway, rubbing her eyes. The explosion of feeling within the Carpathian had me drawing out of his mind, but strangely, the feeling didn't dissapate. He walked over to Victoria, who finally spotted him, and she cried, "YOU!"

"You know me?" he asked, nearly stalking her.

"You're the bastard that's been haunting my dreams!" I threw my head back and laughed at the irony, and stood. I walked over to Victoria, who stared at me warily.

"I think you'll need this now," I said smugly, slapping the condom back in her hand. "Remember. Use protection." At her horrified face, I burst into laughter, finally getting a one up on her.

"So, Esmeralda," Shea said as she walked into the room with Jaques, her eyes dancing in merriment. "Have any more friends you'd like to show us?"


	9. Vincent gone?

Sorry this has taken so long to get out. But finally, the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy ^^

Disclaimer: This is based off a book series by Christine Feehan. I own Diego, Lyon, Vincent, and their lifemates as well as Amber. All else belongs to Feehan.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

"So," I began, bored witless.

"So," Catie repeated.

"So," Victoria parroted.

"So," Amber finished, a ball of fire bouncing from each of her fingers.

Each of us was lined up outside of Diego's mansion, waiting on the arrival of Shea and Raven. The men were off on some mission; god only knows what they were up to. They just put us all outside and flew off, leaving us to our new lessons.

"I wonder what they're doing," Victoria asked, her fascination with her hands and hair.

"Getting drunk?" I drawled sarcastically. "They had three new Carpathian women in about a week of each other. I'm sure they're happy."

"Yes," Victoria supplied. "Lyon was so happy to finally find me. He…" she trailed off blushing, and I pointed my finger at the newest Carpathian woman accusingly.

"You really did have sex!" I cried out, my own face tinged pink. Victoria blushed as well, but didn't deny it, and I groaned at the mental image.

"Lucky bitch," Amber muttered, the ball of fire changing into ice. "I'd kill for a Carpathian lifemate."

"Have mine," I muttered. "You're free to him."

"I haven't seen your lifemate since…" Amber trailed off, but we all knew what she was implying. "Where did he go?"

"I don't know," I replied. "He was just…gone…when I woke up." I was silent and stared up at the night sky. "And dammit, after all of this, I still miss him."

For once, my tone wasn't guarded, and the longing and wanting was clearly evident in my voice. I felt sadness and pity for me, but instead of being depressed, I knew I wasn't alone. My sisters were here to lend their support in any way they could.

"He's going to come back," Amber replied, letting the ice ball disappear from her hand. She walked over and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"You're his heart and soul, Esmeralda. You give him light, happiness, and hope when he had none before. He WILL come back."

Her impassioned speech did make me feel better, but I still wanted him by my side. I would never admit it to Vincent, but I needed him.

"Are you ready for your lesson?" Shea asked. Our group of four turned and we saw Shea floating down from the second story window, surrounded by a cloud of mist. Of course, all of us fledglings gaped at the display of raw power, but Amber simply grinned.

"Where's Raven?" Victoria asked as Shea's toes lightly touched the ground.

"Here," came the voice of Raven.

The mist began to swirl and parted from Shea, only to form the shape of a human. The droplets began to merge and Raven slowly took form. Once the transformation was complete, she opened her eyes and smiled at the shock on our faces.

"This is what you will be learning today," Raven began. "Jacques will soon be back, and he'll oversee the training."

I dutifully raised my hand and Raven nodded at me.

"Where is he? If he's going to teach, why isn't he on time?"

Shea grinned conspiratorially at me, and answered for Raven.

"My lifemate is hunting to supply blood for each of you. When you shapeshift, you will use your power, even when another is holding the image for you."

Now Victoria raised her hand, copying my earlier action.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Shapeshifting is an art to Carpathians as well as our mode of survival. To transform, you must picture the image in your mind, down to the tiniest detail you could possibly imagine. This is why your lifemate, or Jacques for now, will hold the image in your mind."

"Yeah, you should have seen Mikhail," I agreed, elbowing Catie in the side. "He was a drunken owl."

"A drunk…owl?" Victoria asked, clearly confused. Of course, Raven, being the polite woman she was, replayed the memory for all four of us, causing all the women to burst out into laughter once more.

"As you see," Raven began, "Shapeshifting is difficult to master, especially when you start to hold the image by yourself. For now, you will need to be accustomed to the feeling of shifting, rather than shifting yourself."

"And…what do I do?" Amber asked, looking bored out of her mind.

"Sit still and look pretty," Catie quipped.

"Be a cheerleader?" Victoria suggested, her eyes full of laughter. Amber glared at this suggestion, but she broke ranks and walked over to the side so she could watch all of us at once. When she sat, she finally broke out into grin, smiling at the humor.

"For now, are there any questions you have for our race?" Shea asked. "While we wait on my lifemate, of course."

"What powers do we have other than shapeshifting?" Catie asked, clearly interested.

"We have many powers. Our race is exceptional at healing, and our blood does contain regenerative properties. If you were to give your blood, it would speed up the healing process of a human or a Carpathian. We recommend not letting humans freely drink your blood. To do so would begin to bring them into our world, and make the human uncomfortable in their natural state," Shea explained.

"Natural state?" I parroted.

"Humans thrive in sunlight. We must live in the night. We drink blood; they drink other liquids to nourish their bodies. They eat food, yet our stomachs can't hold any human food," Raven replied.

"With each blood transfer," Shea began, "You bring the human closer to our world. They would begin to take on our traits while retaining their human characteristics."

"Then why not turn them?" Victoria asked. "We've all turned. You could repopulate the Carpathian race by turning humans."

Both Shea and Raven shook their heads.

"A woman must be a psychic to have the ability to turn into a Carpathian. If not, she becomes the undead: the _nosferatu_. They are creatures who will serve the one that turns them, much like a puppet would serve its master."

All three of us hung our heads at the despairing news.

"So there's no way to save our race?" Catie asked.

"Go forth and multiply," I promptly quipped, breaking the tension around us. Catie groaned, knowing she walked right into that one, and let it slide.

"Ah, here's my lifemate," Shea said, and the three of us fledglings began to scan the skies.

"He's in the forest, numbnuts," Amber told us. Almost as one, we looked straight to Jacques, who appeared at the forest's edge. He walked over sensually, his eyes full of love and promise for his lifemate. It was clear she was the only one he saw, and it was true for her as well.

"We're here too!" Amber called out, a grin on her face.

A snowball appeared in midair and launched itself at Amber, who barely dodged the attack.

"That was uncalled for!" she called back.

"But it was satisfying," Jacques told her, a grin on his face.

"All right, all right," I began, stopping the banter. "I know how much fun this is for the two of you, but I want to learn shapeshifting."

"You aren't going to learn it," Amber pointed out wisely, keeping a straight face.

"At least we can shift," Catie replied primly.

Amber mocked glared at us, and the three of us grinned back at her. Score one for the fledglings.

"Esmeralda is right," Jacques agreed. "We should start the training exercise. Who wants to go first?" All three of us stepped forward, and each of us glared at the other two.

"We'll have to settle this one way," Victoria stated, a glint in her eyes.

"Yes." I agreed.

"We'll have to duel it out," Catie finished up, and we made a circle with the three of us.

"No, wait a minute-"Shea began, but Jacques silenced her, a boyish grin on his face.

"Just watch," he told her, keeping her in place by a hold on her arm.

The three of us held out our right hands, then started.

"Rock, Paper, Scissors!" we all cried together.

"Damn!" Catie and I yelled, seeing as how Victoria's scissors beat our papers. We let her step forward, and both of the older women began to laugh at our childish antics. Victoria, who looked quite smug, placed a hand on her hip and looked at Jacques.

"Are we going to do this?" she asked, a cocky smirk on her face.

"Of course!" Jacques answered. "Are you ready? You'll feel a prickling sensation, as well as the feeling of not having a body, or your body spreading out over distances."

"I'm ready for anything," Victoria replied.

Jacques nodded and she immediately burst into mist. I felt a burst of panic and fear, and she came back into her body with a yelp. Of course, Catie and I fell to the ground laughing at her disgruntled look, glad that we didn't go first.

"Nice to see I have such polite friends," she muttered.

"Go Victoria! You can win! Beat those evil vampies again!" Amber's horrible cheer sent Catie and myself into howls of laughter, blood red tears sliding down our cheeks.

"I hope you all die a horrible and painful death," Victoria muttered darkly.

"Again? Jacques asked. Through some manly sense of self preservation, his face was impassive, but it made no difference to Catie and I. We couldn't stop laughing at the surprise on her face.

"Again," Victoria agreed.

"Turn her into a bunny!" Catie cried out.

"No! A penguin!" I argued.

Both Catie and I dissolved into peals of laughter again, and Victoria turned to us, irritated. However, energy crackled in the air around us, and Catie and I opened our eyes to see blue sparks of electricity jumping from Victoria's fingertips.

"PMS! Amber cried out. "Run!"

She bolted as Catie and I received the full brunt of an electric attack. It was definitely an uncomfortable sensation, bordering pain instead of discomfort, but we took it as our due. We did provoke her after all.

"Are you two all right?" Shea asked as Catie and I sat up.

"Please. We've had worse," Catie replied.

"Just a flesh wound," I agreed.

A reluctant smile slid onto Victoria's face, and we smiled at her in return. She turned back to Jacques, who suddenly stiffened. Shea and Raven followed suit, each sinking into an attack position.

"All of you. Back inside of the house!" Jacques commanded.

"I'm coming with you!" Shea argued, but Jacques took a step toward the forest. A beautiful man stepped into the light of the moon and all three of us fledglings simply stared, not sure what to make of this person. The way the elder Carpathians were acting, he seemed to be a vampire.

"I have come because I have smelled virgin blood," the vampire said, looking at Catie and myself. Both of our eyes widened and we immediately pointed accusingly at the other.

"Get inside!" Jacques ordered, causing Catie and I to leap to our feet. We began to run back inside, Raven and Shea following us, but Amber stayed behind.

I turned, frightened for my friend, but Raven caught me and continued to drag me to the house. The last I saw of my friend was the sight of her holding her arrow of light, pointing it at the vampire's heart.

We entered the house and Raven began to chant in an unknown language, one that seemed to reverberate within my soul. Shea joined in on the chant, her arms moving to match Raven's.

"What are they doing?" Victoria asked.

"I think they're casting spells," I replied. "To keep the vampire out."

"Oh," Victoria replied, caught up in the movements of Shea and Raven.

Finally, the two women stopped chanting and their arms dropped to their sides. Their gaze drifted outside and us fledglings peeked around the corner. We saw lightning crashing from the sky and fire raining from the heavens, but the combatants themselves were hidden from view.

"Will they be all right?" Victoria asked, her voice filled with worry.

"Yes. My lifemate is brother to the prince. He is a great hunter."

Her voice, filled with trust and belief in her lifemate, calmed us all slightly.

"I'm sorry," I replied "If I hadn't have laughed so hard, I wouldn't have called the vampire to us."

I felt nothing but guilt and shame at my childlike actions, and it was remorse that shone through my eyes.

"I'm sorry too," Catie said, linking her hand with mine. "She wasn't alone. I did it too. I helped call the vampire."

Both of us were swimming in guilt. If either of our friends got hurt, it was on our conscious.

"Raven!" Shea cried out.

"I sense it," Raven replied, her eyes darkening in determination. "Would you like to help?" Raven asked us, a kind smile on her lips. Catie and I nodded mutely, reacting to the note of urgency. "All right. Hold hands everyone. Make a continuous circle." We did as she bade and looked toward Raven for our next directions. "Consider this another part of your schooling," she continued. "Close your eyes." Of course, all four of us followed her orders. "Shea?" Raven asked.

"Yes. I can help channel," she replied, her hand tightening slightly over mine.

"Good. Now I want you all to concentrate. Feel your power deep inside of you."

I could feel energy building around us; the air began to cackle with static electricity. It was a powerful and heady feeling as the five of us combined powers, and it was hard to control it inside of me.

"Don't control the energy," Raven admonished. "Let it flow through you to the next person. If you contain the energy, you limit its power."

"Like water?" I asked.

"Exactly like water. Let it flow through you like a wave. Shea and I will channel the energy, so you three just need to concentrate on your own powers."

I did as she bade and felt the uncomfortable pressure lessen from within me. Now, I felt the energy expand from us, and felt the evil taint just as Catie and Victoria did. All of us shuddered, trying to get away from it, but Shea stopped us.

"The vampire is scouting the premises looking for a way inside. We must kill him, or he will kill us."

A new wave of determination flowed through us and the energy around us increased in volume.

"We need more power. Lifemate, please," Raven whispered. She might have not meant to say it out loud, but the idea was cast. Raw power exploded from Raven and she threw her head back, trying to taper down on the power.

"_Lifemate," I whispered in my mind. "I know we're not on the best of terms, but I need your help. I accidentally called a vampire to the home. I need your help in killing it. Please, help me. Help us. We're trapped inside."_

_I listened, but nothing answered me. I called out to him with all of my will and might, trying to find him, but it seemed as though my calls were going unanswered. It was disappointing, but not all that surprising._

"_Mor-forwyn," came the voice of Vincent. "I would never leave you alone to the hands of a vampire. It is insulting for you to think I have deserted you in my time of need."_

_Joy exploded within me and I couldn't contain the smile on my face. Lips skimmed my cheek, perilously close to my lips, then pulled back._

"_I will join with you. Are you prepared, mor-forwyn?"_

"_Yes…lifemate."_

Much like Raven, I felt an explosion of power within me, and I gasped at the raw intensity.

"Call your lifemates!" Shea commanded, helping me to harness the power flowing from me.

"Already on it," Victoria said with a smirk as Catie now exploded with energy from her lifemate. Victoria's was the last, but she too had enough to help kill the vampire.

"Shea?" Raven asked.

"Ready, Raven."

The two women lifted their arms into the air and the fledglings followed suit. We felt the energy rising above us much like a beacon, and it gathered into a storm cloud above the mansion.

"Now!" Raven commanded. Lighting literally fell like rain around the house, aiming for the vampire as well as anywhere his filthy hands had touched.

The release of energy around us was much…as crude as this sounded, an orgasm, leaving the three of us young one drained. We fell to the floor, panting with exertion, as Shea and Raven tried to slow their rapid beating. The smell of blood was heavy in the air, and I looked around to see all five of us sweating blood, then literally fell onto the floor.

"I…don't think…this is for me…" Catie managed to say. "I'm going to be a trophy wife." I would have laughed if I had the energy, but I merely grunted and let my body try to recover.

"Are the three of you all right?" Shea asked, noting our various positions on the floor. Catie was sprawled over Victoria and myself, but none of us particularly felt like moving.

"Peachy," Victoria replied.

"You three did well for your first channeling," Shea complimented.

"Nice to know we did something right for a change," I stated.

"Yeah. And I didn't have to turn back into mist," Victoria agreed.

"There's always tomorrow," Catie replied.

"Fuck you," Victoria said, managing to gather the strength to flick off both of us. Her chore done, she let her hand fall to the floor.

"Raven!" Mikhail cried out. The three of us on the floor simply looked over to see the absent lifemates return. Lyon appeared at Victoria's side and Diego appeared at Catie's. Mikhail already had his lifemate in his arms while Shea turned to the window to look for her lifemate, leaving me feeling…desolate.

Everyone's lifemates were around them, except for Shea's, who was most likely finishing up his battle. It left me alone, blood covering my body, too weak to get up and exit the room. I felt a pang. I wanted Vincent at my side, no matter what had happened between us. I wanted him to hold me; I wanted him to be here to take care of me.

But, this was always how I had lived. I had to look out for myself. I should have been used to it, but somehow, I thought my lifemate would be at my side by now, helping me to my room.

A tear leaked from my eye and trailed into the pool of hair below me, alerting the Carpathian's around me to my sadness.

"Esmeralda," Catie whispered, holding out her hand and letting it fall onto mine.

I shook my head, just wanting to be alone, when Jacques and Amber entered the house. Shea flew over to her lifemate, checking him for injuries, and Amber looked straight of us.

"You guys look like hell," she stated. The only thing wrong with her was her mussed hair, and the three of us on the ground glared angrily.

"Fuck you," we chorused.

Amber broke out into a grin, but being as perceptive as she was, she noticed the ratio of people in the room. Her face softened and she walked over to me, causing another tear to drip from my eyes.

"Come one. Let's get you in the shower, huh?"

"No need," Diego stated, waving his hand at me. Immediately, my clothes and skin were free of blood.

"Yes there is. Make a Jacuzzi upstairs. Big enough for four. Pronto."

"What do you want a Jacuzzi for?" Diego asked, puzzled.

"Just do it," Catie snapped. Seeing the brief anger from his lifemate caused him to grin, and he kissed her nose.

"Anything for you, petite fluer." He waved his hand again, then picked up his lifemate, who was now clean as well.

"It's upstairs in Esmeralda's room," he told us.

"Can you take the three girls upstairs?" Raven asked. "We will discuss what happened when you return." Lyon and Diego nodded, but Amber smiled.

"I'll be in the tub. Sorry, Raven. The water calls to me."

Raven laughed, the sound silky smooth, yet oddly soothing.

"It's quite all right. Keep those three out of trouble, would you?"

"As if I could," Amber retorted, but picked me up from my position on the floor. "Man, I'm glad I'm a mage," she replied, waving her arms in a pattern. Immediately I felt lightweight as if my body was a mere feather, and Amber swung me around, bridal style.

"Now let's go and have some girl time," she replied, and the group trouped upstairs.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

A few minutes later, I found myself in the tub, naked with my three other friends. We were exhausted and tired, but the water was massaging our tired muscles.

"This is the life," Amber stated as she sank lower into the water. "I'm glad I could share this with you guys."

"I'm glad Esmeralda's a freak," Victoria stated bluntly. "No offense."

"Non taken," I replied. "Being right and shoving it in your face is enough."

"Oh ha, ha," she replied, but a smile was on her face.

"Technically, if it wasn't for MY lifemate, we'd still be back in the USA. So you should all thank him."

"Thank that pervert?" I asked, barking with laughter. "Not a chance."

"He does like to look at Catie's boobs," Amber replied. Almost instinctively, Catie covered her chest, causing all of us to laugh.

"Esmeralda?" Amber asked, her voice somber. Everyone's laughter died instantly as the mood in the tub changed, and we watched Amber intently.

"Yeah?" I asked quietly.

"Why were you crying?"

"Because I was alone," I replied softly, bringing my knees to my chest. "You were all I had in the world. I hated my parents. I had nowhere else to go and nowhere else to turn to. You had me, and I had you. Now, you have lifemates to look after you. You guys don't need me anymore."

"We'll always need you," Catie protested.

"Not like we used to, though," I replied. "We depended on each other. Now, you guys have found the love of your life. I…just felt…left out."

Silence weighed heavily around me, and I could feel tears prickling my eyes.

"You could never be left out," Victoria agreed, her hand coming to hold mine.

"When we killed that vampire, all three of us collapsed. Lyon and Diego were there to pick you up and carry you to safety. They cleaned you, kissed you, and comforted you. I didn't have anyone. Amber and I don't have anyone."

Amber looked away, uncomfortable that I had come close to what she was feeling.

"We had no one there but us two to rely on each other. You both have fantastic lives…God, what am I saying. I'm just being depressing, that's all."

"You're right," Amber admitted. "I do feel alone. I'm not Carpathian and I'm not human. I don't fit in with any world except with one whose members are either immortal or dead. I couldn't tell my secret but I had to protect everyone alone for all of my life. I…know what Esmeralda feels like."

Again, it was silent around us, each of us in our own thoughts or own worlds.

"I miss my lifemate," I whispered. "I want him to come back, but then I want him to stay away."

"Why?" Catie asked, not understanding.

"If he comes back and I trust him, I might not be able to move on if he betrays me. What if he keeps leaving like he did yesterday? What if he leaves and dies on me? I won't be able to go on. Yet...I don't want to be alone anymore. I want someone to love like you two."

"It may be hard…" Victoria stated, strangely serious and sober for once. "But you need to give him a chance. Better to love once than to never love at all. Remember what was on your wall?"

"The greatest thing in life is to love and be loved in return," I quoted.

"Exactly. Follow your heart. Let him in. Trust him. If he dies, if he betrays you, at least you loved as fully as you will ever be able to. You'll never get another chance like this."

"You're right," I whispered, watching the bubbles around us flow with the current. "I…should give him a chance."

"Hey," Amber said, breaking the silence. "Want to screw with their boyfriends?" she suggested, looking at me.

"How?" I asked.

"Easy. You need blood, right?" I nodded. "Their boyfriends have already supplied them with blood. If I give you my blood, they'll smell it and be turned on. Then their boyfriends'll be jealous, and it'll be amusing."

"Well, I do need the blood, but won't you turn into a vampire?"

"Not unless I take your blood," she replied. "Plus, Szyael's blood runs through my veins. He's an ancient master, and will help replenish your strength." She was quiet, then continued. "I know you well enough that you don't want to take another lifemate's blood. You'll either provide it yourself or take it from your lifemate." I hesitated, but nodded.

Just talking about blood had caused my incisors to lengthen, and I eyed Amber's neck like a predator would its prey. I could feel her blood pumping through her and hear it flow through her system. Amber held up her wrist and immediately I pounced, holding her wrist reverently. I hadn't feed from a live human in quite some time, and couldn't hold myself back.

"Sorry," I apologized before sinking my teeth into her delicate wrist. The blood hit me hard and I began to drink greedily, the taste and freshness of the blood an allure I couldn't resist. I didn't want their pity. I didn't want their blood. I was fine with Amber supplying me. No one else.

Amber and Victoria had also come perilously close to Amber's wrist, each of us intoxicated by the smell of blood. Knowing I should stop before I took too much, I withdrew my teeth and licked the wound closed. Catie dove in and lapped the remaining drops of blood, and Victoria was following suit.

However, I could feel my body singing. The raw power I could feel inside of me was a heady feeling, and I knew this was an ancient's blood as Amber had said.

"What the hell is going on here?" Diego demanded to know, breaking into our reverie.

Amber's wrist was still held out in front of her and Diego had caught Catie and Victoria in mid-lick. I began to laugh, feeling their embarrassment, just as Lyon walked in and saw the slightly off scene. His eyes widened at the implications, and my laughter increased at the look on his face. Apparently, even a slight hint of lesbianism could still render a man speechless, even if he was immortal.

Soon after, Amber joined in on my laughter, seeing how well our mischief had turned out. Catie and Victoria were both embarrassed as hell at the whole situation, and Lyon's entrance made it that much worse for them.

Finally, Diego closed his mouth and stared at Catie, his face shimmering hurt.

"I…I…" Catie opened her mouth to apologize, but Diego managed to finish his sentence. "I..can't believe you didn't take any pictures!" he cried out. Amber and I began to howl with laugher, holding our stomachs, both of us begging him to stop.

"You damn pervert!" Catie yelled throwing a bar of soap at her lifemate. Both men gallantly retreated, wanting to fight another day, and Catie sank back into the tub.

"Typical male," she muttered.


	10. A New Enemy?

Sorry I haven't updated in so long. Exams were a total bitch this time around, and actually having to study killed me. Anyways, the next chapter ^^

***8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8***

I awoke in small degrees to a warm sensation flowing around me. As my eyes focused, I smiled, realizing I had fallen asleep in the jacuzzi. Of course, all three of my friends were passed out around me, and I looked out to see the sky started to brighten.

"Catie. Victoria."

Both women woke nearly instantly, gazing around the room in a daze.

"It's morning, isn't it?" Victoria asked, her sleepy eyes trained on my face. I quirked an eyebrow at her guess and nodded, amazed at her perception even though she was still mostly asleep.

"Good guess," I replied.

"Guess my ass," she replied, standing up and getting out of the tub. Catie and I followed suit, leaving Amber to sleep for a few more hours. She was still used to staying awake during the day, and we didn't want to take away any sleep she could get.

"What are you talking about?" Catie asked, grabbing her clothes from last night. "You just woke up. You had no idea it was going to be morning."

"Yes I did," Victoria said smugly. "Esmeralda wasn't the only freak."

Both of us looked at Victoria strangely as we both struggled into our pants.

"So, you're saying you had powers too?" Catie asked.

"Of course. How else could I have become a Carpathian?"

"I hate it when you do that," I muttered. "Always have to have a one up."

I finally tugged my shirt over my head and didn't press the interesting topic further. We needed to go to ground before the sun rose, and my body was literally crying out for the deep sleep of the Carpathians. The channeling before had wiped out all of my strength and Amber's blood did little to bring it all back.

"You want to sleep with us?" Catie asked.

I shook my head.

"I'm not having a threesome with him."

Catie choked on her laughter and fought a blush, but to no avail.

"Just get Diego to open a rift for her and put her to sleep. Vincent will be here soon."

My heart leapt at her statement and my whole body began to tingle. He was coming back for me. He hadn't left me. I wasn't alone.

"How do you...never mind. I don't want to know," I stated, my hands held up in surrender.

All three of us, now fully dressed, walked out of my room and down to the foyer, where we sensed the rest of the Carpathians. When we walked into the room, Lyon and Diego came to their lifemate's side, leaving me alone once again. Immediately as the thought crossed my mind, Diego's arm fell around my shoulders. For once, I didn't fight it, I just accepted it for what it was. Comfort.

"Welcome, the three of you," Mikhail said. "We have been discussing what will be done with the three of you."

"Done?" Catie asked.

"Yes, of course. Your living conditions have been erratic at best, and we must find a place where the three of you can recover from the conversion as well as last night."

Immediately, the three of us linked hands.

"We won't split apart," Victoria stated as Catie and I nodded. "We'll stay together."

We may have accepted the Carpathian lifestyle, but that was with friends. Apart, we were alone, and everything became real and terrifying. Together, we were one, and we friends would do anything for one another.

"I thought as much," Mikhail replied with a smile. "Your ties to one another are quite extroardinary. So, your lifemates will take you to the crystal caves."

"The...crystal caves? Why?" I asked.

"The crystal caves provide an astounding rate of healing," Shea answered. "It will replentish your energy as well as heal any malady of the body. It will only take a few days, then we can start your lessons once again."

Both Catie and I began to snicker, and Victoria glared at each of us.

"Esmeralda, before you can go to ground, you must feed," Shea began, but I was already shaking my head.

"Please, don't offer me your blood. I want to hunt my own."

Instead of arguing with me, Shea accepted my terms and nodded.

"All right. Diego will take you hunting. Is this all right?"

"Yeah. It's fine," I replied, relieved at the turn of events.

"You only have fifteen minutes until sunrise. Please be quick, Diego."

Diego nodded.

"Of course. Esmeralda, if you please?"

He offered me his hand and bowed, as a gentlemen would, and I laughed.

"Smooth, Diego. Smooth."

"You think so?" he asked as I took his hand.

He lead me out to the door, where he stopped.

"Of course. It's just right."

I grinned at him, and Diego let me go.

"Are you ready?" he asked, and I nodded.

Again, I felt the prickly sensation through my body, and closed my eyes. When I opened them, I realized that I had been turned into Hedwig once again, but this time, I kept my balance. I ruffled my feathers, showing off to the watching Carpathians, and Diego picked me up.

"Be careful!" Catie called out to both of us.

"Always, mi amor," Diego answered as he launched me into the air. Quickly he followed suit and the both of us began to gain altitude as we flew from the house.

Finally, we leveled out and began to fly. It was quiet between the two of us; I was enjoying the sensation of flight. A few minutes later, Diego banked downwards and I followed suit, sensing humans beneath us.

Diego landed first and I circled, then aimed for his arms once again. He caught me in midair and let me hop to the ground. I stumbled, but pushed myself back onto my talons, then hooted at Diego.

"Good, Esmeralda. You're learning," he replied, allowing me to change back to a human.

"Of course," I replied, shaking off the last of the pricklies. "I had a good teacher."

Diego laughed at my statement, then waved his hand. A few seconds later, two humans emerged from the trees, and I felt my inscisors lengthen in my mouth. Their blood called to me and I could feel something in me wanting to leap at them and drink. I clamped down on the urge and calmly walked over to the man and sank my teeth into his neck.

He gasped in pleasure shortly before I groaned. The sweet taste of blood filled each of my senses and I drank faster than I ever had before.

I _wanted_ more.

I _needed_ more.

I _craved_ more.

"Esmeralda!" I snapped out of the spell the blood had put on me and looked towards Diego. "That's enough. Close the wound and move to the woman."

I looked away in shame as I pulled away, licking the wound closed. I reached for the woman, who came into my arms willingly, and sank my teeth into her neck. This time, I controled how much I was drinking, and kept myself from trying to take too much of her blood. It was still as delicious as the man's was, and keeping a hold of myself was taking much more willpower than I was used to.

"That's enough," Diego finally said, and I closed the wound regretfully.

"Thank you, Diego," I said softly.

Two fingers lifted my chin to look into Diego's eyes, and I could feel the blood dripping from my lips and onto his hands.

"Everyone loses control their first time," he explained. "Every fledgling has their weak point. You have nothing to be ashamed off."

The blood dissapeared from my face and lips, and I nodded once, accepting his words.

"Everyone?" I asked, my voice a mere whisper.

"Everyone," he affirmed. "I had trouble with blood as a fledgling. I had to feed from another Carpathian before I could move on to a human."

"I...Thank you," I said, smiling hesitantly at Diego.

"It's no problem. Now we have to get to the caves. The sun is going to rise in a few moments, and as a fledgeling, it will hurt your skin more than it will mine. Are you ready?"

Again, I was transformed and launched into the air, and of course, Diego followed me. He lead the way as we flew as fast as possible, but suddenly, another owl flew from the forest to my side. Diego blocked it, but I already could feel the owl. I intercepted Diego and flew down toward my lifemate, the happiness bursting from me.

Diego, instead of trying to block him, allowed him to fly with us, and he lead the way up the mountain. A few moments later, Diego landed, and I circled once before leveling out for my descent. Instead of Diego waiting for me, my lifemate was standing before me, his arms stretched out before me. I felt something from within me well up at his action, but I didn't want to acknowledge it. He had left me, without warning, to go somewhere without me. I wasn't ready to forgive him, even though I was happy he was at my side once again.

I banked and he caught me in his arms, cradling me gently.

"Let her out, Diego," Vincent commanded, and I was quickly transformed into a human. However, Vincent hadn't let go of me, so I was still locked in his embrace when I transformed.

"We need to go to ground," I reminded my lifemate. I was beginning to feel twinges of pain, especially around my eyes, and my lifemate quickly bolted into action.

He ran swiftly underground, Diego hot on our tail, through various caverns and tunnels, following a trail only Diego and he knew. A few moments later, we arrived at a beautiful cavern full of different types of gems and crystals, and I felt my friends below ground.

"They're already below," Diego said, affirming my belief. A rift opened and I saw Catie, still as death, lying there. My heart leapt and I went to check for a pulse, but my lifemate held me to him.

"She's alive. She's just sleeping the deep Carpathian sleep."

As the initial panic drifted away, I blushed at my mistake, but my lifemate stroked my cheeks.

"All humans react the way you do at first, mor-forwyn. It is only natural," he said, his voice next to my ear.

Diego leapt into the rift and settled beside of his lifemate, then waved his hand. The rift closed, leaving my lifemate and myself alone.

"I need to go to ground," I reminded him, uncomfortable with how close he was to me.

"I know," he replied, waving his hand. A similar rift appeared and he leapt in, still keeping me in his embrace. "We'll go to ground together," he told me, slowly placing me on the ground, his eyes never wavering from mine. He waved his hand and the rift closed, but I could still see Vincent.

"What?" I asked, uncomfortable with his stare. However, I still couldn't look away.

"I missed you, mor-forwyn," he replied, lying down beside of me.

"Where did you go?" I asked.

_I saw a flash of blood and a cry of pain before it was gone, and I realized that it had come from Vincent's mind._

"I had business to take care of," he replied.

"Business?" I echoed.

_There was blood. More blood than I could ever imagine. A heart lay on the ground, still beating._

"Yes," he replied, with a tone of finality, ending the conversation.

_A face stared at me, his eyes unblinking, and something in me felt terror. However, I couldn't place the face, but a name shimmered in the air around him._

_His name was Mehmet. _

It didn't seem familiar, but again, I felt the initial spurt of fear.

"What is wrong, mor-forwyn?" Vincent asked, sensing my fear.

"I don't like being underground," I replied, not far from the truth. I was still highly uncomfortable with this part of Carpathian life, even if it was in a beautiful cavern full of gems.

I mean, what if there was a volcano below us?

What if we were caught in a landslide and couldn't get out?

What if we drowned because of a river below us?

"Mor-forwyn, none of these things will happen," Vincent told me, clearly amused by my fears.

"Yes they could," I replied, inching closer to Vincent. My hands clutched his wrist, drawing comfort from his presence.

"I will protect you, Esmeralda." I shivered at the use of my name, and knew it wasn't because of the fear. I felt the name all the way to my heart, and my body reacted accordingly. I shook off the feeling and tried to calm down, but I realized I couldn't go to sleep without his help.

"Can...you put me to sleep?" I asked, tentatively extending my trust to this man I had only known for a few days.

"Of course. All you had to do is ask," he replied suavely. "Sleep, my love. Sleep the deep sleep of the Carpathians."

As I closed my eyes and my body shut down, all I could feel was relief that the man from Vincent's mind was dead. How odd.

***8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8***

"Wake, Esmeralda."

My eyes opened immediately and I looked around. I felt panic as I realized I was in a cave, but memories of last night flooded my mind, and I relaxed. I was safe. I had come to this place to heal.

"Vincent?" I asked, looking to my right. My lifemate was kneeling beside of me, his eyes intently watching me, and I looked away. He was so intense, my lifemate. Something drew me, but I was too embarassed to admit this, even to myself.

"It's me," he replied, softly caressing my cheek. "I have hunted for the both of us, so I will supply you with blood."

Blood.

The one word speared me and I could feel my fangs already grown and ready to feed. I must have used more energy than I had originally thought.

I sat up and leaned into my lifemate, my only focus the throbbing vein on his neck. I licked my lips in anticipation as my lifemate leaned over me to give me better access. I sank my teeth into his neck, and pure pleasure poured into my mouth. His blood was powerful and empowering at the same time, and I could feel my own body humming from the taste of his blood.

My exhaustion that I had felt was clearly fading, and I was more awake than I ever had been since I turned into a Carpathian. I moaned as I brought his neck and body closer to me, reveling in the sensations I was currently feeling.

"Esmeralda," Vincent whispered, his voice husky and oh so sensual. I could feel the need to claim me as his lifemate, and it was slowly seeping into my own self. Fantasies of the both of us together was flashing through my mind, and I knew they weren't my own. I could have never thought of this...these...positions.

Before I could jump him and fufill all of these fantasies in his mind, I pulled away and licked the wound closed. I scrambled away from him, afraid of what we would do to one another, but Vincent caught me and pulled my back against his chest. And oh dear lord, that was most definately not his finger against my lower back.

"Where are you going?" he asked, clearly amused.

"Anywhere but there," I quickly replied, the images on constant replay through my mind.

"I can't wait too much longer, Esmeralda," he admitted, his voice low, purring into my ear. "I'm trying to give you time, but I can't hold out forever."

I was at war within myself. At one end, there was pure, carnal pleasure. I wanted to fufill what I wanted most, and that was to have him claim me as his lifemate once and for all. And the other side, I had only known him for a short while. I was a virgin, deathly afraid of actually facing the unknown, and I wanted my first time to be special, sensual. I was still afraid of Vincent and still wary of the thing inside of him.

How could I choose between desire and intellect without feeling ashamed of whatever I chose?

"I'm sorry," I managed to whisper, the human side winning the fight.

"Don't be sorry, mor-forwyn," Vincent immediately reassured, nuzzling my hair with his face. "You will be ready when I take you. I won't force you or allow any doubts when we join."

Lord help me then.

"Where are my friends?" I asked, frantically trying to change the subject.

"They are still below ground. I had to wake you up to feed you. Now, you have to go back to sleep."

"Why?" I asked, not wanting to leave his side.

"I will be with you," he replied, reading my mind. "Come." The rift opened and we both leapt inside. "It's time to rest."

With a wave of his hand, I fell asleep once again into the sleep of the Carpathians.

***8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8***

"Have we gotten the tape back yet?" the man in the black office chair asked, absentmindedly tapping his pen on his desk.

"Yessir," the two uniformed men in front of him chorused.

"And?" the man drawled, cutting his eyes lazily to both men. However, both men gulped and one held out the tape recording.

"Th...they left around six, sir," the man stammered, carefully holding out the tape to the man behind the desk.

"And do they remember?" the man behind the desk asked, taking the tape and staring at it.

"No," the man stated. "They don't remember anything."

"Excellent. You two may go."

"Yessir!" they chorused before exiting the room, each wanting to leave as quickly as possible.

As they left, the man stared at the tape in his hands, his eyes glinting at the prospects that could unfold. He was so close to having actual proof. With the proof, he could finally destroy those evil monsters and save all of humankind.

"So, you aren't as smart as you think you are, vampires," he drawled. "You forgot about human technology."

The man chuckled as he preened about outsmarting the vampires, and he smiled in victory.

"Soon, you'll all be dead, and you'll have no one to blame but your bloodsucking selves. I'll avenge the death of every human you've killed, every one you've hurt. I'll harness your power to enslave your race. You'll all be mine very soon. Very soon."


	11. Epiphanies and Revelations

Okay, so I seem to have fallen off the side of the planet for a while. And Columbus thought it was round…pft.

Yeah, bad joke, I know. I'm not known for quick jokes on my feet, that's for sure.

But regardless, I got my hands on a working computer, and all the creative juices I had for a while went into overdrive, so here's a new chapter. And for the long wait – horribly long wait, I know – that I put you guys through, I now give you the fun result of any romance story.

A bit of citrusy fluff. Not a pure lemon, mind you, I'll get to that, but I still love me some fluff. So, for the long wait, I give you the next chapter and hope you all love it!

***8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8***

I woke up to the sound of a heartbeat in my ears; it was like a beautiful song. Every thump made me twitch slightly, and the thought of the blood pumping through the veins of the heartbeat simply made me want to feed.

"You're awake, mor forwyn," Vincent purred, running his hands through my hair. I opened my eyes and saw that I was lying on top of him, my ear pressed against his heart, as he cradled me softly.

"How long?" I croaked, my throat feeling parched from lack of water…or in this case…blood.

"Three days. I've awakened you to feed. We are still underground, so we are alone. I have hunted for the both of us again, mor forwyn, so take what you need."

At that, I felt my first pang of fear. I wasn't hungry. I was ravenous.

"What if I take too much?" I whispered, almost below Carpathian hearing.

"Then I will hunt more." I rolled off of him and he sat up, letting me look at our surroundings. We were still in the earth with enough room to move around in, locked away from the other two Carpathian couples buried in the ground. This meant a brief moment of privacy between Vincent and I, which if I was honest, I wanted desperately.

"All right, lifemate," I agreed. "Thank you for hunting for me." I could sense the truce he was extending, and of course, I agreed with the sentiment. For now, here in this dark corner, blocked by the earthen walls around us, it was him and I. It was time for me to embrace my lifemate.

He sat up and held out his arms, waiting for me to come to him. He knew how easily he could still spook me, and with this gesture of patience, I relaxed slightly. It wasn't him going to me. I was going to him.

I crawled forward and knelt in between his bent legs, allowing him to slowly wrap his arms around me. The fact that his arms were feather light did help in relaxing me farther. He was trying his best to cooperate with me, since the last time I took blood I almost gave my virginity to him.

"I will try to control myself, Esmeralda. Do not fear me."

I was taken aback at his statement. For all that I had known him, I had indeed been afraid. He was unknown, he was powerful, and he was attractive on a level I had never known. If I gave myself to him, I'd never be able to let him go. Ever. But I had said I would give him a chance.

"I'll try," I told him, locking my eyes with his, my fingertips gently touching his cheek.

His eyes immediately closed as he groaned, nuzzling the palm of my hand, and it brought a small smile to my face. I curled into his chest, letting my head rest against his shoulder, and took his wrist in my hands. I brought it to my teeth and looked up questioningly at my lifemate.

"You can take blood there, if you wish it," he stated, lifting his wrist up a fraction to press it against my lips.

As if on instinct, I gently kissed his wrist and licked the pulsing vein so close to the surface, and was surprised at his groan.

"Did I hurt you?" I asked quickly, trying to make the truce last between us.

"Fuck no," he breathed out. In that moment, I colored as I realized what I had unwittingly done. It seems he was closer to taking me than he had let on, and I did feel a bit guilty. By being afraid, I was causing him so much…discomfort, and it was all my fault.

"I think discomfort's a mild word," he stated with gruff laughter. "Do not worry, mor forwyn. You will be ready when I take you. Now please, drink. I can feel your hunger beating at me."

I frowned as he changed the subject, but quietly agreed that this was neither the time nor place to have the sex talk. He nuzzled my hair, breathing in my scent, and pressed a kiss to the top of my head as he lifted his wrist back to my lips.

I bit down, then groaned myself as his blood hit my parched mouth. He was an ancient, his blood full of power, and with the lack of sustenance for the last few days, I wanted his blood, and would trade anything for it. I drank greedily and as my guard let down, I was flooded with sensation from Vincent. He was in ecstasy. He was holding me in his arms, his face buried in my silken hair, and the pleasure from my bite was almost more than he could bear.

He was so far gone in the pleasure I was giving him, he didn't realize that I was in his mind for the first time, soaking up his emotions like a sponge. I didn't pry nor probe, just allowed myself to feel what he was feeling. It was a huge step, but definitely one that I didn't regret making. I could feel his attachment to me, his growing love and admiration of me, and of course, the barely restrained passion. Every ounce of his willpower was given to keep him from jumping me before I was ready.

I looked up at the Carpathian buried in my hair and noted the rigid posture of his body as well as his other hand, which was clenched into a fist. Small droplets of blood poured from his palm, and again, I was struck with guilt. I should have been ready for this. Diego had talked to me of lifemates, and I should have been mentally ready to give myself to my lifemate. I was foolish. Selfish. But I could at least do something for him.

"Lifemate," I whispered, pulling out of his wrist momentarily to speak. He didn't reply, as if he hadn't heard me. But I knew how to fix that. "Vincent," I whispered as seductively as I could.

It definitely got his attention.

His head shot up, his eyes boring into my own, his passion so close to the surface that I could feel it, and the answering need for him began to accumulate between my thighs. It was time for the next step, time for me to let go of my fear, time for me to begin acceptance of my lifemate.

I lifted my hair from my neck and pulled his lips down to my jugular.

"Are…sure?" he managed to choke out, and I could feel his incisors scraping my skin as he spoke.

"Yes," I whispered, and bit his wrist once again.

He groaned again, and I could feel something within him snap. His arms tightened around me and his legs moved to pin my body where I was, keeping me in place for what was to come. Too far gone, he didn't sense my spurt of fear, but as his canines sank into my neck, I literally cried out in ecstasy. The brief pain was quickly overridden by waves and waves of carnal pleasure as he drank from me, and in turn, I drank from him, swapping the blood between us.

Almost instinctively, Vincent turned his mind to mine, allowing me to feel his pleasure alongside my own, and I couldn't handle it. My body clenched in reaction, and I could feel the first spirals of an orgasm blossoming in my stomach, and from the feral growl I heard from Vincent, he knew this.

His hand was already down between my legs, circling my most sensitive spot from outside of my clothing, and I couldn't help the small moan that escaped from my lips.

"Now," he growled out as he pulled out from my neck, grabbing the back of my neck to turn my face to him. He took in my features as he settled on my dilated eyes, then pulled off the sexiest smirk I had ever seen. "Come for me," he commanded, and pressed against me harder.

The chain of events and the roughness of his voice, combined with the dark pleasure in his own eyes did the trick. I cried out as an orgasm ripped through me, and I lifted my face toward the ceiling, basking in the coils of pleasure rocketing through me. Unexpectedly, he cried out, and I felt an explosion of pleasure from his mind as well, but I was too far gone to understand what it meant. I was still in the throes of my orgasm, my body clenching against what I wished was Vincent inside of me.

After a few seconds of bliss, I calmed, still panting from the afterglow, and chanced a look at Vincent. What did he think of this? What if I had done something wrong? Did he hate me for not letting him get his own pleasure?

"Enough, Esmeralda," he growled out, licking the wound on my neck closed. The feel of his tongue beneath my skin caused me to shudder, but he pulled away and licked his own wrist shut. "You've no idea of the gift you've given me."

"Funny, I get told that a lot," I stated shakily, not really trusting my voice to speak.

Vincent tensed, but quickly, I relayed the line from my memories, showing him the situations I had heard it in, and he relaxed just as quickly as the jealousy had come.

"So you have, mor forwyn," he stated with the sexy smirk. "But this exceeds everything that they could have dreamed of."

"But…what about you?" I asked shyly, trying to hold his gaze, but it was hard as hell. This wasn't my area of expertise, dammit.

"Seeing you was enough for the both of us," he answered cryptically.

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously. He leaned forward, his lips grazing my own, but I couldn't look away from his eyes.

"Seeing you in pleasure from my touch was enough to make me lose it," he stated. "Like an untried schoolboy, I couldn't even hold it back."

I stared at him, my mind not comprehending his words, but finally, they clicked. He had orgasmed…by watching me orgasm? But….why?

"You don't know how fucking sexy you are, Esmeralda. Everything about you turns me on, and I don't know how I'll be able to survive when we make our bond complete. But know this. I'll never forget this moment." Oh my god, I was getting turned on again. Again! But I had just…you know, and he had too, so why was I getting wet all over again? "The way your body welcomed my touch, the way your eyes dilate when you're drowning in pleasure…" he licked my lips once before continuing, "The way you tossed your head back when you came…all of it. Fucking sexy as hell."

Never before had I felt anything akin to sexy, but his words were making me feel like a sexual goddess.

"I…know I've been wrong in waiting…and…I wanted to make it up to you. I…didn't plan on this."

"Which means I make you lose control," he replied back, smirking.

"Wait, that's not-"

"Too late." I glared at him, but he remained unrepentant, so I smiled at him unexpectedly.

"I guess it is," I whispered, kissing him lightly on the lips. "Thank you for dealing with me, lifemate. I know it must be hard, but I'll try. I need to give you a chance."

He quickly took the lead and kissed me back, his own kiss lingering and oh so sinfully delightful, causing me to shudder once more.

"A chance is more than I had expected, and I thank you."

I looked up at him shyly, but instead of pushing his luck sexually, he merely smiled and pulled me into his chest, waving a hand around us. Immediately our clothing was changed and the evidence of our small foray quickly disappeared as if it had never been.

As he held me, I realized that I was feeling…happy. I didn't feel shame that I had acted so out of character, nor did I feel as if I were alone. I felt content, as if some part of me had been filled, and was grateful to my lifemate. Perhaps this could work between us. Perhaps he could return as my god.

"I'll always be your god," he whispered to me, nuzzling my cheek. "Whatever you want me to, I'll be for you." His declaration made my heart race, and I placed a hand on his chest, allowing myself to deliberately touch him in a possessive manner.

"And I'll try to be what you want, lifemate."

"You don't need to. You're already what I need. Now, lifemate, you need to sleep. Sleep the deep sleep of the Carpathians, and know that I will watch over you. Know that I will never leave you. Sleep, my love, and dream of me."

And as my eyes slowly closed, I realized that I indeed trusted him to take care of me, despite everything. I trusted him to shield me from any harm, to keep me safe from anyone. My protector…my savior…my god.

***8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8***

I awoke in a rush, dragging breath into my lungs as I looked around. I was on Mikhail's plushy bed, the same that I had slept in as a human, and realized that I was alone.

"Esmeralda?"

I looked up to see Amber and I stared at the girl, wanting to tell her of my dream, wanting to tell her everything.

"Amber…you got a minute?"

As if she sensed that I was serious, she quickly shut the door behind her and came to sit on the bedside.

"What is it?"

I quickly relayed my dream, event for event, even when Amber blushed so fiercely I thought she would catch fire. She said nothing the entire time, letting me spill everything as I needed to do. When I had finished, she and I were no longer looking at one another; each of us found something interesting on the walls around us.

"So um…you had a wet dream of Vincent?" she began, and I nodded, "And you're not sure if he knows this yet?" Nod. "And you're afraid that if he finds out, he'll tease you for it? That's what this is all about?" Again, I nodded, and she sighed. "Look, Esmeralda, here's the deal. You've dreamed of Vincent all of your life. He's been with you through thick and thin, helping you deal with any hardship you had during your childhood. He's kept you sane. Kept you whole. He may not have known it at the time, but some part of him was extending to you to keep you alive for him to find. Agreed?"

"Yeah. But what does this have to do with-"

"Shut it, I'm not done." I reluctantly stopped my question, and Amber continued. "Then you meet him, and physically he's everything you've dreamed of and more." Nod. "And you know that he's had problems controlling his emotions, right?"

"But he left me!"

"To exact revenge on your behalf," Amber informed. "He killed the one that hurt you."

"I remember something in his mind…Mehmet. I saw him dead. Who is he?"

"Shea erased your memories, remember? He was the reason why those were erased. Vincent hunted him down and killed him since he dared to hurt you, Esmeralda. As a man, and definitely as your lifemate, he couldn't let the man breathe for hurting you as badly as he did. That's why he left."

I was quiet for a moment, digesting Amber's words. They did make sense. If something was hurting me, I was sure Vincent would take care of it, as would any other mated lifemate. They would protect their women at all costs.

"So, he's been here with you, keeping you safe as you recovered. He only left to bring you back blood, and when he wasn't feeding, he was there with you, watching over you as you slept. He never once left your side, Esmeralda. Never. Some part of you, the one that recognizes him as a lifemate, realizes this. That's probably why you dreamed of him as you did."

"He never left me?" I asked, slightly off balance. Vincent didn't seem the type, but then again, I hadn't bothered to truly learn about my lifemate, had I?

"Nope. Wouldn't let any of the males feed you either. When you were above the earth, he kept you in his arms. He loves you and would use his own self as a shield to keep you safe. He would _die_ for you."

At the mention of his death, my heart clenched, and fear invaded every fiber of my being. Amber, knowing this would happen, smiled knowingly, but kept her gaze averted, knowing that she shouldn't give me pity or anything of the like. She was doing enough by forcing me to focus on her words and revelations.

"I don't want him to die," I finally admitted, the words feeling as if they were torn from my throat. "Not for me. I'm not worth it."

"He'd beg to differ," Amber quipped. "You're his everything. Why do you think he came back? Why is he still here now? Why is he going out and bringing you back blood? Why would he sleep in the earth with you? Why would he hold you close when you were at your most vulnerable?"

Epiphanies hurt, and the one Amber was cramming down my throat was hard to accept, much less ingrained into my system. For far too long, I had been told that I wasn't enough, that I would never be good enough for anyone for anything. I wasn't beautiful, I was selfish, impure, and a disgrace to my family, since I had no want to join the drug circles my father frequented. I has high and mighty for choosing school, I was the bitch daughter of my worthless mother, everything.

"You know," I whispered. "I've told you what he said to me."

"Your father's a bastard and always will be, Ez. You've been dealt a cruel hand, but you came through it intact. Now, something good falls straight into your life, and you have no idea how to act, do you?"

I shook my head, ashamed. It was true. For as long as I had lived, it was with bad and worse. Never anything good.

"Look, Ez, I love you like a sister, you know that. And I wouldn't be doing this if you were anything less," she said with a sigh as she ran a hand through her hair, "You've got to give the guy a chance. Sure, he's been a prick at times, and sure, he's hurt you. But look, he's got superhuman strength. If he wanted to hurt you, you'd have a broken arm and bruises to show for it. But you don't. It was just uncomfortable. He's been checking his strength where you are concerned, even when he's been his angriest."

"What about his demon?" I asked softly. "That's the part I'm most afraid of."

"When you…ah hell. When you fuck him, you make the ultimate bond. You two will be tied together for eternity, and the demon inside him will be leashed and caged. He'll be able to control it."

"So it's my fault?"

"No dammit!" she cried out angrily. "Nothing is your fault! You don't know Carpathian culture the way I do and have had no way to realize what's wrong and what's right, and what the Carpathian male is in essence. When the time is right, you'll go to bed with Vincent, and he'll be able to control the beast within him. The times he's attacked you, he's been jealous and angry. I'm not absolving him or anything, but it's the truth. He wants you to himself and doesn't want to share you with anyone. Would you like it if he had a mistress on the side?"

My fangs exploded in my mouth and immediately, I was on my feet, a snarl erupting from me as I thought about the prospect. Like he had in my dream, Vincent was touching another woman, his body over hers as she cried out in pleasure.

"No fucking way!" I swore, my hands in fists at my sides, my nails gouging my skin, but as blood poured from my wounds, I calmed slightly. "My god, what am I doing?" I asked, coming back to my senses. I lifted my injured palms up and could feel shock radiating through me. "I…I…"

"That's what happened to him when he thought about you with another man," Amber explained, lifting a hand above my wounds. A light shone from her and the lacerations began to heal from the inside out. "Except the beast inside of him made that reaction twice as stronger."

I sat back on my heels as I realized the implications of what Amber was telling me. Vincent was not attacking me, like I had assumed. I was just so in tune with him that I felt his first reaction when a prospect of me with another man was mentioned. His beast wasn't even close to harming me. It was out to harm the one who dared touch me.

"My god," I breathed out. "Just…my god."

"He wasn't mad at you, Ez. Never at you. I don't think he's ever deliberately tried to hurt you."

I remembered when he had hurt my arm right after I had killed the vampire. He was angry at me, but as I reflected on it, he was angry that I had gotten hurt, which meant…he was angry at himself.

"Oh god…I've screwed everything up. I've been so afraid of him for nothing."

"No, it's human nature that's been between you both. He only knows how to be a Carpathian. You only know how to be a human. It's culture that you two will eventually get over, and now since I've explained this to you, you're already one step closer to actually having a relationship with him."

"Yeah…I see."

Amber squeezed my shoulder and stood, finally looking straight into my eyes.

"You'll get through this, Esmeralda. I promise you." She walked toward the door, but when she opened it and stepped through, she stopped and turned back to me. "Oh, and Ez? Carpathians don't dream when they're in the deep sleep." And with that torpedo in the water, she left.

I stared at the door non-comprehending, but as the torpedo finally hit and exploded, I groaned and covered my face in shame.

I had thought it was a wet dream. But since I was in a deep, healing sleep, I couldn't have dreamed. Which meant….

I had really done that with Vincent. Pure mortification shot through my system, and I flopped onto the bed, still trying to erase the latest revelation.

Sweet Jesus, spare me now.


	12. Tyler and the Master Vampire

I sat on the bed, idly chewing a nail, pondering over what Amber had told me a few hours ago. I understood what she was saying, but surmounting our differences seemed freaking impossible. I was human in my mind, and he, a male Carpathian. Dominant to a fault, jealous, and ultimately protective.

Did he even love me as a person? Or was it the lifemate bond that forced him to love me? I'll admit, I did have strong feelings for him, but I barely knew him. He was still like a stranger off the street to me. I mean, I didn't know anything about him. What did he like and dislike? What were his hobbies? I knew nothing, and it made me feel damn guilty.

"Lifemate?" I heard from the door. I looked up to see Vincent, worry shining in his eyes, and I realized that I was giving off my emotions again.

"I'm sorry," I apologized quietly. "I've been a coward trying to run from this, and I apologize."

"Es-"

"Please, lifemate." I took a breath, then trudged on. "I know nothing about you at all, and I haven't bothered to find out. I haven't made any attempt to cross this boundary we have. I know I wasn't your first choice, I mean, there's probably been so many women that-"

"There has been no one, Esmeralda," Vincent told me, immediately walking over to me. I stopped him with my hand in the air, wanting to finish my thought.

"Well, if that's true, then I still haven't made any attempt to make this relationship work. I've been childish, still stuck thinking like a human. I'll try, Vincent. I really will. But sometimes instincts are hard to break."

"It's all I can ask for," he said, coming to his knees in front of me. "And I apologize as well. You are a Carpathian, but you know nothing of the males of our race. I have treated you abominably, I realize, and I persisted in thinking you would acquire a Carpathian mindset overnight. We have both made mistakes. Don't feel as if you were the driving force behind our fights."

"I'm still sorry," I repeated, and Vincent stroked my cheek with his fingers, and I leaned into the touch, letting my cheek rest on his palm.

"As am I. We will both have to learn together, no?" I nodded and smiled tentatively.

"Vincent?" He looked up at my question, waiting for me to continue. "What's your favorite color?" I saw the surprise he tried to hide, but he masked it after a few seconds.

"Blue."

"What is your favorite animal?"

"The dragon. Why are you asking these questions?"

"Because I don't know the answer to them," I replied. "I've never bothered to find out, and I'm trying to change that."

"Lifemate, release this unreasonable guilt you carry. We will have lifetimes together to learn of one another, and when we fully share our minds, our memories will bind us as much as your questions." I immediately looked away again, the shame and guilt overwhelming.

"I haven't tried to share your mind, have I?" I asked softly.

"You've done more than I thought possible," Vincent quickly amended, placing both of his hands on my cheeks and bringing my forehead to rest against his. "You saved me from choosing the dawn, even if you didn't know it."

"How?" I asked. "I didn't do anything."

"It was your mind that turned to me through the years. I could only follow the path that you left behind." With this, my eyes widened, and I looked deep into Vincent's eyes.

"You mean, you felt me? When I dreamed of you?"

"Yes," he affirmed. "Your mind always found mine, yet something blocked me from tracing the path back to your own mind. But lifemate, I looked forward to those times. Whenever you dreamed of me, we were one. I could feel and see as if you were close to me." He inhaled and his grip tightened, but he exhaled and softened, as if he was savoring the contact. "You brought me a sense of peace when I needed it most, and I scoured the world to find you."

I remembered how close I had felt when I dreamed of Vincent, as if we really were one being, and if I admitted it, I missed that sensation of serenity. I could feel his emotions as if they were my own, and his memories seemed like I had lived them instead of him. It was a curious thing but something inside me wanted it more than anything.

"Why couldn't you find me?" I asked, my mother's death flittering through my mind before it vanished.

"Your necklace." He reached into my shirt and as he did, his knuckles brushed the top of my breasts. Immediately I felt liquid heat as he slowly drew out my necklace. His eyes connected with mine, his eyes darkened with the promise of pleasure, and I could feel the sexual web threatening to swallow me whole.

"My necklace?" I asked, my voice breathless and husky. He held the necklace in his hand, but our attention was no longer on the jewelry I wore.

"I cannot wait much longer, lifemate. For you, I wait, but my beast calls to me." Normally I would have shuddered, but resolved, I reached out my hand and touched his temple lightly. Was I consenting? Or was I lost in this spell he wove? I didn't know, but either choice he made I would have accepted. Maybe I was losing myself in the promise of love as I wished to for my whole life, or maybe I was lusting after Vincent more than I thought I would. But I knew that if he took me right this instant on this bed, I would have no regrets.

"I…" I gulped, but continued. "I'm conflicted. I don't know what to do." Perhaps it was the wrong thing to admit, because he groaned and nuzzled my neck, and I immediately moved to give him better access. His teeth scraped the pulsing veins of my neck, eliciting a moan from me, but he finally tore himself away.

"You will want me before I take you," he told me as well as himself. "I'll have to control myself until then…for both of our sakes." Did I really want that?

"I'm sorry," I apologized softly. "I'm thinking like a human again." But sex with any man, including Vincent, was difficult to think about. Of course, I had little to no self esteem, and baring your body to a man was definitely a sign of trust and love. I couldn't handle rejection or disgust from Vincent because it would absolutely destroy me.

"It is who you are. You will think as both in time," Vincent replied, responding immediately to my guilt.

"It's time we don't have. Your beast will keep coming and becoming more aggressive towards other men, right? What if you killed a man just because he looked at me? I would be indirectly responsible for his death."

"I would never kill an innocent," Vincent swore, his eyes sparking angrily. "It would turn me to a _nosferatu_ and I will not allow my turning to leave you unprotected. Lifemate," he said with a sigh, calming himself enough to stand me up and hug me, using his body almost as a human shield. "I will never kill any man who chooses to come after you. I swear on my honor as a Carpathian." The promise did help me to feel better, though I did note he left out every torture available in his disposal. But it was enough for now, and I would take Vincent for all of his faults. He was my god, after all.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

The man watched the footage from the Carpathian Mountains for the tenth time in the last hour; he was determined to find a single frame of any sort of animal or vampire, but he saw nothing. Inwardly he swore and fought the urge to throw the television into the wall. Of course, he could always replace the television, but he prided himself on self control, and it would do him no good to throw a childish temper tantrum.

Vampires were cunning, evil creatures, and deserved to die by sunrise. The ones who had killed his wife had suffered the same fate, but he didn't stop there. What of the other vampires who lurked the nights, killing the innocent humans and turning them into mindless ghouls? If he could kill those few, he could rid the world of a taint that should have been cleansed long ago.

He rewound the tape once more, watching the foliage in the background for any movement, his eyes shrewd as he scanned the footage. So absorbed was he that he nearly missed the knock to his door, but he cursed and glared at the shut door.

"What?" he barked, taking inward pride of his ability to instill fear in his followers.

"Andrews, sir!" With this, the man perked up and immediately pushed the button to allow the man entrance. His spy stumbled in, looking quite haggard and unkempt, and the man curled his lip in disgust. However, he tolerated his spy's appearance for the information he possessed, and waited impatiently for the man to speak up.

"What did you find?"

"The society's run by fucking madmen," Andrews replied. "I saw some of those fuckers dissect a human woman because she was dressed like a vampire. They knew she wasn't one of them, but the sick fucks tore her open just because they could." His spy's hand trembled, betraying the scarring impact of the memory, and the man noted this. Andrews had been through truly horrific aspects of war, and for him to betray a small emotion such as his hand meant thousands of words in the leader's mind.

"And what does this mean?"

"No deal," Andrews replied. "No one knows who their leader is. They just follow any sort of orders like whipped bitches." Andrews reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a cigarette, nervously flipping it through nimble fingers as he resisted the urge to light it. "They would be a liability in our cause, and for all they know, they could be run by vampires."

The man leaned back in his chair but tossed a lighter to Andrews all the same. He didn't mind cigarette smoke as a rule, and it seemed as if the spy needed the vice to continue his report. However, the report was quite troubling. The man had heard of the Society; he heard it was a frontal assault against the vampires. Many of the vampires had been slain by the society, but darker rumors had inspired him to send his spy into their ranks, and for once, he was glad of his instincts. If he hadn't of checked, he would have joined the organization and would have been forced to dispatch of their ranks. Whoever harmed innocents deserved to die, no matter their race.

"I see. We cannot afford to impede the society. Our men are too valuable to be wasted in that line of work."

"Agreed," Andrews stated, taking a deep breath and exhaling toward the other part of the room, as he knew his boss preferred. "Leave them alone for now. They will not come after us unless they feel us a threat."

"Understood. I want you to withdraw from the Society for now." Relief flashed through the spy's eyes as he turned back to his employer.

"Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but why?" he asked, rolling his cigarette in his mouth idly.

"You'll crack," the man replied without hesitation. He knew the signs of breaking a person, and Andrews was showing the classic signs. This meant that what he had gone through was truly horrific, and though an insider would provide vital intelligence of the Society, it wasn't worth risking his best spy for the job. "And I'll be sending you straight to the source to scout for me."

"The Carpathian Mountains?" Andrews asked, nearly dropping his cigarette. It was a slight bobble, which an untrained eye would have missed, but his employer noted the hesitation.

"You will report intelligence, nothing more. Go home and I will contact you when I'm ready for you to move out."

"Right, Ty." The man blinked at the spy, knowing Andrews was calling his nickname to irk him, but he refused to show it. "Mr. Williamson," Andrews finally said, tossing the lighter back to Tyler, and exiting the room. Tyler caught the lighter easily, his natural reflexes quick and effortless, and stared at the spot where his spy had stood.

So, the Society was not to be trusted. He would continue the fight alone as he had always done, but he didn't despair. In fact, he relished the destruction of the immortal monsters, and in return, he kept living to avenge the memory of his wife.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

A few moments were all I had with Vincent before he left with Mikhail, Jacques, and Lyon, leaving the women inside the house with strict regulations. We were not allowed outside for any reason, and we had to keep in sight of Raven and Shea at all times. I could understand and abide by these rules for the day, but if I was going to have to live like this, I would definitely have a problem. I could sense Victoria going a bit stir crazy and I couldn't blame her. Shea and Raven were amiable companions, but we were just so boring! They were grown women and us, teenagers on the brink of womanhood. We had little no to nothing in common.

"Why did they leave?" Catie asked for what seemed like the billionth time, but was in fact her second time asking.

"A vampire has been stalking the area for quite some time now," Raven answered immediately. "He's probably sensed the new Carpathian women and is quite interested."

"Then why haven't they caught him?" Victoria asked, her foot tapping out a rhythm only she knew.

"He's a master and an ancient one at that. He hides his trail and lair well and my lifemate has been hunting him for months."

"Well, why can't he find him? Why not bring backup?" Catie asked, and this time, Victoria glared.

"He did, dumbass."

"Hey, shut the hell up!" Catie snarled back, leaping to her feet as energy began to surge around her. I turned to look at the two, debating on if I should step in and stop the spectacle, but I wondered who would win this cat fight.

"You shut up first!" Victoria jumped to her feet, ready to fly at Catie, and calmly I looked back and forth between both women.

"Five on Victoria even if she has horrible comebacks."

"You're on," Amber stated before slapping a five onto the table between us. As I watched the two women square off, Shea stepped between them and pushed them away from one another.

"Please, calm down for one moment." Catie and Victoria, however, were still glaring at one another, ready to attack the other if they so much as lowered their guard.

"Bet still stands," I muttered.

"You bet your ass it does," Amber shot back. So sue us, but we were bored as they were, and a little drama always seemed to spice up the night.

"Enough, please!" Shea cried out in reprimand, only one a mother could use on their children. With that, it seemed to deflate both Catie and Victoria, though they still glared at one another like rabid animals. "I can feel the dark taint of a vampire!"

With this, Raven leapt to her feet and began to scan the room, both with her eyes and strong Carpathian senses. I quirked an eyebrow, but really didn't believe them. I mean, if there was a vampire, he'd be attacking us and trying to take us, not…wait…

"If there is a vampire, what is he doing to make you think he's here?" I asked, highly confused. There was no tell tale signs of energy around me, and my sixth sense was definitely quiet.

"He's feed off of their emotions," Raven explained quietly.

"What?" I asked in disbelief. I looked to Amber, who looked somber and grave, and sobered. "Okay okay. So they're feeding off of emotions. What does that mean?"

Raven took Catie into her arms, taking a protective stance, and Shea copied the action with Victoria. Immediately, their faces smoothed and their anger disappeared like it had never been, leaving me shocked with the sudden transformation. They were spitting mad a few seconds ago!

"A vampire, if he can trace your mind, can heighten your emotions to the brink of madness," Raven said, looking outside, trying to sense if the vampire was even near. Amber saw this and took over the explanation.

"What she means is if Catie and Victoria got so mad and left the house, he could have gotten them. Maybe the men are close to his lair and he tried to lure them back home with a fight. Maybe he gets off on anger. Who knows? The only thing I can tell you for certain is that he's close to us and knows there are three newly turned Carpathian women. He'll want to take you to forcibly bind you to him."

"But I'm Vincent's lifemate," I replied. "And Diego and Lyon are their lifemates."

"They've been bonded," Amber explained, her voice and features sympathetic. It took me a moment to realize what she meant, and my face colored.

"You mean I've been the one who's been drawing these vampires?"

"No," Shea said with a tone of finality. "Vampires will always find a reason to attack a female Carpathian. You are just the greatest target at the moment."

No matter what they said, I still felt a twinge of guilt, and I wanted to reach out to my lifemate for reassurance. However, my human side stopped me before I could contact him, worrying about how I would distract him in hunting the vampire. But the Carpathian side of me wanted to at least hear one word from Vincent, to know I was still in his good graces. I didn't know which side to listen to, and I didn't want to vocalize my dilemma. Shea and Raven were fending off a vampire, even if it was just a small fraction of his power, and I wasn't going to disturb them with my guilt and struggle.

"Contact Vincent," Raven finally said, her voice soothing." I can feel your turmoil and it's exactly what the vampire feeds on. Contact him." Again, I hesitated, the urge to contact him sharp and strong.

"_**Mor forwyn**__," Vincent purred, his voice soothing. "__**What is wrong**__?"_

"_I think I called a vampire to us….again. It was because I wasn't bonded with you." I was glad of Vincent taking the choice from me; I probably wouldn't have decided easily or at all._

"_**This is not you, lifemate. This vampire is very cunning and he senses we are close to his lair.**__" I could sense Vincent flying, scanning the world around him for an evil taint. "__**He wishes to distract us and knew our women would make ample distraction. All of the women were under attack, but you, Raven, and Shea were protected and stopped the madness before it began.**__"_

"_What do you mean?" I began to use my sense to scan with Vincent, wanting something to do to alleviate my stigma of not being bonded._

"_**Raven and Shea are one in their lifemates minds and cannot be found. Your friends have not had time to learn how to meld completely with their lifemates. As long as they still think like humans, they will behave like humans in their mind. And you, lifemate, have the necklace that will always keep you safe.**__" I stroked Rhiannon's necklace once before I drew my hand away, prepared to leave and let Vincent hunt the vampire._

"_Vincent!" I cried out, fear and excitement rolled into one surge of emotion._

"_**What is it?**__" he asked, his voice all business._

"_I sense him! The vampire!" I could feel Vincent scanning the area around him, but he felt nothing._

"_**He is not here, Esmeralda.**__"_

"_Yes he is! I feel him through you!"_

"_**I'm sorry, lifemate, but I must see for myself.**__" I felt him stir in my mind, and felt his reluctance for what was to come. "__**Join your mind with my own. I know you are worried of this, but I must find the vampire before he harms an innocent.**__"_

_However, I was beyond caring of merely sharing minds. I had accepted this, and was ready to take this next step into becoming a true Carpathian. Guided by Vincent, I felt myself entering his mind. Whereas before I had felt echoes of what he thought and felt, it was much stronger in his mind. I could think his thoughts as if they were my own and feel exactly what he was feeling, no matter how much he tried to shield me. _

"_**Good, lifemate. Now scan for the vampire. Show me where he hides.**__" I turned my mind to the vampire and felt Vincent shift with me, a curious sensation of almost being one being. I knew we hadn't completely merged, but it would be enough to find this vampire and extinguish him. _

"_There." I showed him exactly where I felt the evil thing, and the power of the aura nearly made me sick to my stomach._

"_**I know, lifemate. I hate for you to do this, but I cannot sense him. I need you to guide me to the entrance of his lair.**__" I didn't know if I could actually do that, but I could take him where the evil was the most potent. "__**I will take control of this merge, lifemate, and will try to shield you as much as I can.**__" I could feel a drain on myself and knew that I only had a limited amount of time before my fledgling power ran out once again. _

"_I'll try to hold on, lifemate. Please make it quick." I felt a hand brush against my cheek, a kiss press on my lips, and felt his gratitude for my acceptance. The mind merge wasn't as horrible as I thought it would be; I still had a sense of self. _

_Vincent turned my sense to the ground, and through his eyes, I saw the side of a mountain, craggy rocks jutting out from the ground. It would be a perfect hiding spot for vampires; it sported many places to hide and escape, and probably more than enough room to create a labyrinth of traps for the hunters. He would have many traps, probably each more deadly than the last, so I would have to protect Mikhail at all costs. He would refuse, of course, but he was my prince and I knew I would have to take the lead in finding the vampire._

_I shook my head, clearing the thoughts from my head. They weren't my own but seemed as if they were, and I finally realized what a full mind merge would entail. I would be at one, though my own person, with dual thoughts and feelings. But, I knew that if I practiced, I could distinguish between the two. I already trusted Vincent enough with my mind. I knew this._

"_**Lifemate**__," he said gently, but I knew it was a reprimand. "__**You are my light, but I will need you together with me. I appreciate the concept, you understand.**__"_

"_I do trust you," I whispered back._

"_**I know,**__" he said arrogantly, which caused a slight laugh. Though just as suddenly as the laugh came, a wave of nausea swept over me. Bile leapt to my throat as I struggled to maintain the mind connection, and Vincent immediately clamped down on the sensation and began to track it. I fought the urge to turn away and kept with my lifemate as long as I could._

_He swept down to one particularly evil looking rock formation and I saw the three hunters land beside of him, their faces blissfully eased of the sick tension I felt. _

"_Where Vincent?" I heard Mikhail ask through our mind merge. _

"_She feels the vampire in this tunnel," he answered. To me, he whispered. "__**This is all I need from you, lifemate. Please understand, it will scare you to stay with me as I fight this vampire. I want to spare you from that.**__" He knew I would feel a bit rejected at the sudden loss of the merge, and I smiled as he tried to soothe me. Already he was getting to know me and caring for me, even though he was about to go into battle. _

"_I understand. Please come back home, lifemate." It was all I could say, but he felt my emotions. It was enough for the both of us and as he left my mind, I felt another kiss on my lips, this one lingering as his mind faded from mine._

I blinked as I saw through my own eyes once again, a sort of vertigo confusing me momentarily. As I refocused, I saw Shea and Raven watching me, their charges sitting beside them on the couches. Of course, Shea and Raven maintained contact through an arm over the fledgling's shoulders.

"What did your lifemate say?" Raven asked. I looked at her, worry shining in my eyes.

"I led him to the vampire's lair. They're going inside now."

All of the women in the room immediately turned pensive, but none of us contacted our lifemates. We wouldn't distract them as they hunted. But, there was one thought all of us shared as we stared out of the window.

We all wanted our lifemates to come back to us. No matter what.


End file.
